Honoka's Master
by Enpitsu
Summary: Complete AU. Honoka had a secret. When she was eight years old, she also met a Master of Martial Arts. His name? Uzumaki Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

Honoka's Master

Summary: Complete AU. Honoka had a secret. When she was eight years old, she also met a Master of Martial Arts. His name? Uzumaki Naruto.

AN: Alright, let's get one thing clear my friendly readers. The Naruto in this world is not the same as the one from the Naruto-verse. This Naruto was born and raised in the Kenichi-verse. I will merely be implementing his character here. Of course, I could tailor his background to resemble the canon Naruto easily. That however, is for me to write, and for you all to read and find out. The idea is heavily inspired by Kenchi618's "Soldier of Fortune" story. I recommend it for anyone who doesn't mind reading something different,

At the start of this story, the ages are as follows.

Honoka: 8

Kenichi: 11

Obviously, I'm starting from the past. At least for the moment before I hit canon.

Other than that, please, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

**"The Caretaker"**

Honoka Shirahama was solemnly walking back home from a long day at school. She had a lot on her mind at the moment, having to balance a great deal of many thoughts. Too many for a girl her age would be her own opinion. Wasn't being young about freedom and being carefree? Why was she the one who had to juggle such useless thoughts in her mind, even when most of them weren't even her business to being with!

"Gah!" She yelled in frustration, catching the attention of a few of the people around her, who looked at her warily. After all, nobody wanted to deal with a random temper tantrum. "Hehe...sorry!" With that, she walked faster, intent on getting home.

It had happened again. She had seen a bunch of other children making fun of and harassing her brother! And frankly, she was damn tired of it. Didn't those stupid delinquents have anything better to do other than bully her poor, poor older brother. He was so kind hearted that he couldn't even defend himself. Life just wasn't fair to him.

She wished that she could defend her brother but every time she tried, it only made things worse for him. They would always belittle him and accuse him of hiding behind his little sister, making the harassment worse. Of course, there were some people who had no problems hitting a little girl, so when it came to that, Kenichi would always shoo her away and take the brunt of any harassment.

Her patience was wearing thin. The police didn't do anything to stop gang violence and her brother was always picked on. It was not fair.

"...*sigh...I wish I could just do something." She mumbled before sticking an orange flavored lollipop in her mouth. It was her favorite one out of the millions of flavors. The taste was just so sweet that it practically melted in her mouth. What a delight.

It was getting a bit dark. "I should hurry! I don't want mom to get mad at me!" And with that - she began a long sprint.

Honoka was something of a junior athlete at her elementary school. She played a variety of sports, ranging from track to soccer to tennis. Her mom had always encouraged her to do so to keep fit, thus making her more healthy as she grew. So her speed was definitely not that of an average eight year old girl. Her strides were conditioned and her breathing was well balanced.

"..*Thump*..." A loud crashing sound caught her attention and she stopped to see what was going on.

"Hey brat, why don't you jump for us?" A snide, arrogant voice said. Honoka watched as a couple of high schoolers - behind them was a large group of others - glare down at four boys that looked slightly younger than even her. They were cowering behind some trash cans, eliciting laughter from the older kids.

"What's wrong? Scared?" The leader asked with a smirk. "Well, come on then! Jump and we won't hurt ya'!"

"HEY!" Honoka didn't know why she did it. Her mom had always chided her for being a hot-head and reckless, but this time, it angered her deeply to see a bunch of older people picking on younger people. "LEAVE THEM ALONE! WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

"Oh look at that..." The leader stalked towards Honoka. "A little girly. Pretty brave to be yelling at us huh?"

"Yeah! We should teach the damn brat a lesson!" One of his underlings from behind suggested loudly. Honoka could see that a few of them were hesitant to be attacking a young girl but shook it off, not wanting to show any weakness to the higher ups of their gang.

"W-what?" She stuttered momentarily. However, her fear quickly turned into rage as she realized how serious they were. "Don't you have any shame?! Picking on someone younger than you!"

"Hey, you were the one that came here." He replied loosely, waving his hands in a nonchalant manner. "You picked a fight with us!"

"Your moms must be so ashamed of you all! How dare you t-try to intimidate me like this!"

Five of the high schoolers stepped up and began cracking their knuckles. "Well than...I wonder how ashamed your mom will be when we return you broken and battered..." Honoka gulped, guarded her face and closed her eyes, waiting for the first blow to come.

"Well isn't this is a disgusting sight."

A voice from her far right spoke authoritatively. Honoka peeked a scan and saw a fairly tall man glare coldly at the high school delinquents. She opened her other eye to see that a few of the others in the back had wet themselves at the sheer fury of his look.

Honoka didn't blame them.

The guy looked absolutely irate.

He stood at about six foot tall if her eyes were measuring right. His figure was slim and he had short, but spiky blond hair and crisp blue eyes. The blonde wore simple straight blue pants, slim sandals and a dark, loosely buttoned long-sleeved shirt. Around his neck was a necklace with what looked like an emerald gem embedded into it.

"Who the hell 'r you?!" The leader snarled.

"You seem angry. Are you so much of a coward that you would lose your spine as soon as you confront somebody your own size?" The blond man replied crisply, raising a single brow. "Please take your little gang of filth and leave these children alone. I have no patience with the likes of you."

"Naruto-aniki!" One of the formerly cowering boys shouted upon recognition. He immediately dashed from behind the trash can and made it to the blond, who looked down sternly at the boy. "I-I..."

"Quiet, Konohamaru. We will talk about this later. Kenji, Shin, Udon; come out from behind there and get back into the building. Now." His tone left no room for argument. The boys easily dashed away from the stunned gang and made it back into the building they were beside.

"Now for you all." His cold gaze turned to the gang members. "Leave."

"You think we're just gonna let this go?!" The leader scoffed. "We're gonna beat the living day lights out of you!" Some of the more devout members roared in agreement. Fifteen members ran simultaneously at him without waiting for a response.

The blond, now identified as Naruto, merely closed his eyes. "I see."

Honoka watched the horror in front of her unfold.

But it was not what she had initially expected.

The blond man moved like lightning. All of his strikes proved to be finishing blows that knocked each member down and out cold. His footsteps were untraceable to the eyes of amateurs and his figure blurred with a speed that no one there knew was even possible. The leader of the gang had his eyes wide open and mouth gaping at the sheer brutality of the tall man's nature. The guy didn't even take a single blow and the fifteen on one bout had ended in about five seconds, the favor going to the unlikely one. Honoka could not believe what she had just witnessed.

"...He's so strong..." She muttered to herself, a hint of admiration in her young voice. She had instantly forgotten what had happened before he had appeared.

"S-shit!" The leader stumbled back and began to run. "A-a-"

"Don't speak. Just leave. Your mere presence is making the beauty of the setting sun taint." He interrupted sharply. "Get off my property and never return. Or else."

"Y-y-y-y-y-e-eah. O-ok." The teen squeaked out, tears in his eyes. With that, the leader of the group retreated quickly, resembling a beaten dog with a tail between his legs.

The rest of the gang followed suit.

Honoka followed their tracks until they were out of sight. Everything had happened so quickly. She couldn't believe that all of this had just happened.

"Excuse me, young lady. But I believe that it is getting late. You should be heading home." The tall man said sternly. "Do not keep your family worrying."

"R-right!" Honoka blurted out and checked her watch. "Oh no! I'm late!" And with that, she bowed before him and said, "Thank you sir! Goodnight!" And then she ran off.

Naruto watched with an amused look as the girl ran at full strides into the sun set. He let out a wistful sigh.

"Kids." He returned to the building with a mere shake of his head.

* * *

Shirahama Residence

Honoka couldn't sleep that night. All she could think about was that encounter before she made it home.

_"That blond guy was so strong...He was so amazing. He protected those kids so easily! I wish I could do that." _She began laying there in bed, day-dreaming of all the things she could have done if she had that strength. Before she knew it, it was nearly four in the morning and her mind began shutting down.

Honoka awoke with a gasp as she felt her body shake. "Honoka!" She looked up to see the face of her mother. "You nearly overslept! Get up, it's time for school!"

"S-sorry mom!" Stumbling around her room, Honoka broke her previous record for getting dressed and raced down stairs.

"Jeez, you have red in your eyes dear. Is something the matter?" Her mother asked kindly, "Did you get any sleep?"

"Some." Honoka admitted tiredly. "I had a lot on my mind!"

"Well don't let them bother your sleep. Resolve them so that you can get back up to snuff!" Honoka smiled and nodded. It was simple but great advice. The straight-forwardness of it all appealed to her immensely.

"OK!"

She hurried out the house and made her way back to the school. Honoka ran as quickly as possible so she wouldn't be even a minute late but due to her high speed movement, she ran into someone else as a corner was turned.

"Urgh!" She heard from the other side. Turning her head, she saw one of the kids that was being bullied the other day.

"Oh! Sorry, I was in a hurry." The young boy looked up at Honoka and widened his eyes in recognition.

"Oh hi! I remember you from the other day. Thank you so much for sticking up to those stupid bullies!" The boy nearly glowed with a smile as wide as his face. The kid had a mop of brown hair a little band-aid on his nose. "I wish I could have seen Naruto-aniki beat them down though. By the way, my name is Konohamaru."

"The blond guy? He's your brother?" She asked for clarification.

"N-no. Actually, he's the Caretaker at the orphanage I live in." Konohamaru replied in a low tone at the mention of living at an orphanage, not really enjoying that admission. Honoka acknowledged that and avoided that topic.

"He was really amazing. He beat those guys in an instant!" Honoka told him with a gentle smile. "He was like wham! And the other guys fell down and the leader ran away. It was awesome."

"I bet!" The young boy began jumping excitedly.

"Yeah! Oh man. I have to go, I'll see you later!"

As she was about to sprint off, the boy shouted, "Wait! I-I uh, didn't catch your name." He flushed a bit at this.

Smiling, the girl replied, "I'm Honoka!"

"Right. Honoka, feel free to stop by the Orphanage sometime. I'm sure the other three wants to thank you too!"

Shrugging, "Sure! I'll see you later Konohamaru!" And with that, she ran to school before she got really late.

* * *

Unfortunately, even with her speed, Honoka couldn't avoid the stern warning from her sensei. Sulking her way back, she suddenly remembered the promise she had made to that young brown haired kid, Konohamaru, to visit the orphanage.

It didn't take her long to get there at all. The place was on the way to her own home after all.

She only really noticed it yesterday. It was surprising for her to learn that perhaps, she wasn't as familiar with the area as she previously thought.

The building was fairly modest in design but was definitely big enough to house multiple children. "Koryou Children's Home." The sign read. It was three stories tall and stretched nearly four houses in length.

She entered through the front door. As soon as she closed the door behind her, a large shadow appeared above her. Looking up, her gaze met those of a tall man with brown eyes, short, black spiky hair (with some hints of gray), and a beard. He had an easy smile on his face.

"Why hello. I haven't seen you around here so you probably aren't one of ours. I'm Asuma Sarutobi. How can I help you?"

"Hi! My name's Honoka. I came by to see my new friend Konohamaru!"

Asuma seemed a bit interested at that tid bit of information. "Oh...The kid." A knowing look entered his eyes. Smirking, he nodded. "Sure, I'll be sure to find my young nephew."

"Nephew?" Honoka questioned. She assumed that Konohamaru didn't have any other relative, hence why he lived in an orphanage.

"Ah, I know that look. This orphanage was actually my father's. He died a year ago." Asuma sighed, "So I inherited it. Unfortunately, I travel a lot due to my...profession. And thus, I can't officially be a caretaker. I let Naruto have that job."

"Oh, I met him. He seems really strict but very kind!" She smiled, "I saw him beat up some bad guys the other day to protect the kids."

"Typical him, always the hot head. I didn't know you had met him...Then again, I don't know you at all. Don't let his stern, disciplinarian attitude fool you. He's actually a huge softy." Asuma laughed at her surprised look. "He really cares for the kids here. So I felt that he was fit to be the next caretaker. He used to work here as an employee so it made sense. Anyway, I'll go get Kono for you. His room isn't too far." Asuma soon walked away.

Honoka sat quietly and observed the place. It actually looked a lot bigger on the inside than it did from the outside.

"Hm?"

Hearing a grunt, Honoka turned to see the object of her recent thoughts. Near the reception desk, the blond man stood straight back and tall. His eyes were tight but held warmth in them. "...I'm guessing you came for Kono?"

"Yes sir. It's nice to meet you again." She added in a slight bow, before sitting back down.

"Hm, such a polite young girl." He approved of that, "It's good that Kono's finally making friends outside the orphanage. Perhaps it will do him good once he starts school." Naruto mused. "He told me what happened the other day. Your bravery has made quite the impression on him."

"A-ah...It wasn't anything special." She made a sweeping motion on front of her face, trying to hide behind modesty.

Shrugging, the blonde merely took her response in stride. "Thank you." For helping his surrogate brother, something that he left unsaid.

"It's no problem."

Grinning, he turned around and made his way to a large room. However, Honoka wasn't finished and her curiosity ignited.

"Hey wait sir! Um...I was wondering...how are you so strong?"

Quirking a brow, the blond turned back with a blank expression. "I was something of a Martial Artist back in my youth."

"You talk like your youth was way back in the day. You still look young!"

Amused, he decided to correct her. "I'm nearly thirty-three years old. I'm not exactly a youngster."

"But you're not an old man either! In fact, you still look like someone in their twenties!"

"Thank you." Naruto replied honestly. "Practitioners of Martial Arts usually live long, healthy lives while maintaining something of a young visage. I suppose I am...young as well."

Honoka was too young to identify the pained look in his eyes. Just as those words were said, something else popped in her mind.

"Can you train me?" She mumbled shyly.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

"This is gonna sound weird but...um, can you train me!?" She stood and bowed deeply. "I...I was so amazed by the way you took down those bullies! I want to be strong too!"

Naruto pinned a decisive gaze on her. "One does not simply decide to study Martial Arts on a whim, young lady. I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I do not take any students."

"But..." She was about to turn away from his stern gaze but something inside of her forced her eyes to stay on his. "But I also want to be strong like you."

_"Hm...Interesting. Maybe there is more to this girl than just reckless courage." _The blond mused in his mind. "I do not run a dojo here. This is an orphanage. If you want to become a martial artist, I'll point you in the right direction. I'm sure those knuckleheads at Ryozanpaku would love to take on a new student. Heaven knows they have nothing better to do with their time." Naruto shrugged and with that, he turned away leaving a disheartened Honoka behind.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, a thoughtful looking Sarutobi Asuma hid behind the staircases, having eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Interesting..."

* * *

END

I hope you enjoyed.

And yes, Naruto is definitely NOT young. He's a master martial artist after all. He's actually pretty young for a Master now that I think about it.

I added in Asuma too. I just think he's an awesome character with a cool design. And yes...the trench knives are IN!

Honoka: 8

Kenichi (Who won't appear until I start canon, which is fairly soon): 11

Naruto: 33

Asuma: 53

I will be taking in those guesses as to what Martial Arts Honoka will be learning. (Let's face it, we all know by the title that Naruto will eventually give in). It's not Ninjutsu though. My mind isn't really creative enough to pull that off.

Review or PM to tell me what you think.

Thanks, have a nice day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**"The Plan"**

"What do you mean, a student?" A lazy voice asked through the phone. "You want me to come over to help you manipulate Naruto into taking on a student? Do you have any idea how stupid and random all of this is? Why in the world would you want to do that? Doesn't Naruto run your orphanage by the way? Where in the world is he gonna find the time to train someone if by some miracle, you succeed? Oh and if he does, be sure to let me know where he does find the time because I am quite interested in the idea of spending time in a hyperbolic time chamber as well."

"Well..." Asuma had to admit that he never really thought his strategies through. Maybe that was why he always lost to his old student in Shogi despite having decades of experience over him. Not to mention it was said student he was talking to.

"Again, you never really think these things through, sensei." The phone said, as if reading his mind.

"Oh come on now, Shikamaru. You know this is a good idea! Naruto needs to lighten up now and then. Taking a student might actually make the world a better place."

He heard an incredulous snort from the other end, "I knew you were a romantic sensei, but I never thought you could do so for anyone other than Kurenai-sama." The older man rolled his eyes.

"Fact of the matter is, sensei, you can't just manipulate Naruto into taking a student. First of all, things like this just aren't done on a whim. She might not have the strength to deal with Naruto's...training. You remember what he did to Hanabi all those years ago, didn't you?"

Asuma coughed a bit, embarrassed that he didn't even think of that. But his determination was unwavering. "Well, she turned about pretty well, don't you think?"

"She never completed his training, sensei. Five years in, Naruto deemed her unworthy and told her to return back home to her Dad. She went in shame. The girl was very snappish for a few months if I remember correctly."

"...It wasn't that bad was it? I mean, sure, he can be something of a taskmaster-"

"Slave-driver." Shikamaru corrected.

"- BUT he trains great fighters."

"I'm not saying he doesn't train great fighters. All I'm saying is that, despite the fact that most of his students were trained at a very young age by their clans, all of them never measured up to Naruto's expectations; and thus, they never completed his training. Not a single one. And you think some random school girl, an eight year old by the way, could do so? Come on sensei, even Ino can draw that realization."

"She's interesting..." Was Asuma's mumbled excuse. He wasn't exactly wrong either. The wily veteran felt that the girl had something that was very rare to find in their line of profession. "She has something that the others didn't have..."

"..." Asuma could hear his student's brain crinkling. "Right. Romantic, I almost forgot."

"I'm not being whimsical! I'm being very, very serious about this. She's interesting!"

"You've known her for a day. No wait. From what you told me, you've actually known her for maybe a few minutes! How do you know that?"

"A great man just knows."

"You are very troublesome. And meddlesome"

"So are you coming over or not?" Asuma said in a whining tone, ignoring his student's barb. He sounded very much like a child that didn't want to be denied a toy. It was a bit embarrassing for Shikamaru to hear.

"...Fine. But I'm not doing what you want me to! It'll only be a leisurely visit to my dear, senile sensei. I'll be sure to let Temari know too. Heaven knows what she'll do to me if I left without letting her know." And with that, he hung up abruptly. Asuma looked out his window to the sky and mentally added in another victory to his seasoned record. His win column continued to grow even to this day.

Yep. His late father, wife and even his child often told him his meddlesome ways would never truly go away. They were right.

Asuma Sarutobi would always be meddlesome. Weren't all great men?

* * *

Elsewhere

Honoka was on her way to the orphanage again to spend some time with Konohamaru. But despite those cheerful thoughts, more depressing things kept coming up in her mind. The rejection that Naruto had easily given her shook Honoka's confidence in asking him again. The guy was nice but he seemed very adamant about not taking students for some reason.

Maybe there was something she could do to earn his recognition? But what exactly could she do? While she very athletic for her age, Honoka wouldn't say that she was some sort of super-human by any means.

No, she had to earn his confidence in other ways. It was then when a great idea struck her.

"Maybe...maybe if I just help around the orphanage, he might soften up to me!" Nodding at the brilliance of her plan, the eight year old girl skipped off to the large building.

As she got there and opened the front door, she was met with the same old guy again. "Hi! Asuma-san right?"

"Hello Honoka-chan." He greeted kindly. "Here to see Kono? I think he's in the backyard."

"Oh great! Actually...I was wondering if I could ask you for something." The man tilted his head at her sudden shyness.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I was wondering...if I could help out around here sometime? You know like volunteer work and all that..." It was quite clear to the older man that Honoka had ulterior motives.

He did not mind them at all.

"Sure, I guess. I'll be sure to let you know if we need help. Come on, I'll show you around and then bring you to Kono."

And so he did. There were a total of four floors and the stairs were situated right in the middle of the floors. On each floor, there were about ten moderate sized rooms for each kid. Doing her math right, Honoka estimated that about thirty or so kids could stay here. Asuma had told her that they only had about fifteen at the moment so most of the rooms were free for her to use.

"Still, fifteen is a handful. They are hard to settle down." He admitted. Honoka understood it somewhat.

The backyard was a lot bigger than she originally anticipated. Apparently, when Naruto had taken over, he had bought most of the land that was set behind the orphanage and had turned it into a clear, grassy plain for the children to use. However, at the end of the plain was a forest with numerous tracking marks.

"Since we bought the land, we also provide some lodgings for some hikers, if possible of course. The children come first. People don't really hike that much so it isn't a huge part of our income." Asuma pointed to the large mountain range. "We bought all of that."

"...That doesn't look cheap." Honoka stated bluntly, eliciting a small chuckle from Asuma.

"Yep. Don't let Naruto's pedestrian clothing fool you. He's not exactly middle-class."

Honoka wanted to question why he was working at an orphanage if that was the case but found the question to be really trivial. Obviously, the blond had a good heart behind his stern visage. Like a strict but well meaning teacher. Even a young girl like her could see that much.

As they were continuing, the two met with one of the other few employees of the orphanage. The person was a very feminine looking person with long black hair, pale skin and large, dark-brown eyes plus a slender frame.

"Haku." Asuma acknowledged, before pointing to Honoka. "This is Honoka. She wants to volunteer here."

"My, so young? How admirable." Haku's voice was very soft and warm. "It's nice to meet you Honoka-chan. My name is Yuki Haku and I'm Naruto-sensei's assistant."

"Sensei? I thought he didn't take students?" Honoka asked as she scratched her head. Had she been lied to?

"I only study under him as a caretaker and business-man. He is very strict on budgeting and will not rest until I am competent." The older teen admitted. "I used to be an orphan here as well. Naruto-sensei has always been very kind to the children. He's my role model of sorts."

"Wow...I see. It's nice to meet you Ms. Haku!" She bowed, missing the chortles from Asuma and gigantic blush that rose from Haku's cheeks.

"E-er yes, and you too. By the way, I'm a boy."

Silence.

That was broken by Asuma's raging laughter after Honoka's reply of, "WHAT!? NO WAY, BUT YOU'RE SO CUTE!"

Asuma let out a full belly laugh. Haku was sputtering shyly.

"It sure is lively down here." A voice spoke from behind them. Turning around, Honoka was once again, met with Uzumaki Naruto.

"Here to see Kono, Honoka-san? I believe that he's somewhere in the backyard. If I remember correctly, he usually hangs near the slide." The blond pointed to the far right of the field where there was a small playground next to the plain.

"Right! I also asked Asuma-san if I could volunteer here now and then and he said yes!"

The tall man's sea blue eyes landed on his old friend and boss, "Is that right?" Asuma looked a bit bashful and gave him a wide smile. Naruto merely rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Well, if he is alright with it then I suppose I could give you a few tasks here and there. Do your guardians know of this?"

Honoka shook her head, "No. But I'm sure they will be fine with it. They know I'm responsible."

Naruto regarded her for a millisecond before nodding. "Very well. I don't have anything for you at the moment. Feel free to go play with Kono." And with that, he turned back and headed up the stairs where his office most likely was.

"He seems busy very often." Honoka observed innocently.

"Indeed/Not really." Haku and Asuma stated respectively, before glancing at one another.

"Oh please, meditating in his room for hours during the day does not count as being busy."

"He does not meditate for hours as in plural, Asuma-san. Naruto-sensei is up to his neck in paperwork everyday. He has many responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning and meeting with potential parents! Not to mention he IS something of an entrepreneur. He works with some of the local charities on his free time as well."

"Yeah...right, of course." The older man replied dismissively, as if such things didn't concern him, making Haku's eye twitch in annoyance.

"Anyway...I should probably check up on Konohamaru-kun and the others. Come, Honoka-san." Haku said, and the eight year old nodded to the older teens suggestion.

"Alright. Have fun kids." Asuma said and made off to wherever he usually went.

* * *

Later that Evening

Naruto sat cross-legged in the middle of his quarters on the top floor. His eyes were closed and his breathing was soft, almost silent even to the best ear, taking only enough to be in tune with his surroundings. The room he was in was very neat and clean, there wasn't a speck of dust laying anywhere. There was a book filled shelf to his far left and a work desk and cabinet to his far right. In the middle on the far wall, there set was something of a small shrine and smell of faintly lit incense covered most of the room. The focal point of it all was a picture of Naruto and another woman with long, dark blue hair and pupil-less white eyes. In her arm was a child that looked exactly like the woman.

Knock. Knock.

Sighing, Naruto stood up, opened his eyes, and turned to sit at his modest sized work desk. "Come in."

"Naruto-sensei. Honoka-san has left. I thought that I should just let you know."

"Thanks." He nodded to the younger man. "Good job today Haku. You can take the rest of the day off."

"Thank you, Naruto-sensei." He bowed lightly. However, before Haku left, Naruto stopped him.

"Wait."

"Yes, sensei?"

Naruto gave him a calculating look. "Did Honoka-san...mention anything about wanting to study martial arts?"

It was Haku's turn to be deep in thought for a moment. "N- Actually, she did mention that you didn't take students. I wonder how she knew that..." The dark-haired teen admitted, before widening his eyes at his current teacher. "Did she...?"

"M'nn." The blond confirmed with a soft grunt and scratched his chin in thought. "I rejected her. At least for the moment."

"Are you...considering it?" Haku surprised himself with the question. Never had he seen Naruto consider something so small, and so trivial as this important enough to start a conversation about it. Taking a student was just a matter of saying yes or no. Well, that was what Haku thought at least.

His own father adopted father, Momochi Zabuza, took Haku in as his own student after witnessing him win a race between his fellow orphans. Since then, he had been his disciple in martial arts. If he had never met Zabuza, Haku would have long asked Naruto to teach him the ways of his martial arts.

But Haku was not unfamiliar with Uzumaki Naruto at the present time. When he was a child, he definitely was ignorant of the blond man's reputation, but being the son of Momochi Zabuza made visits to the underworld of martial arts very frequent.

Naruto was without a doubt infamous in many circles.

How he managed that and found a way to live peacefully as a caretaker of an orphanage, Haku had no clue. Even today, his boss was an enigma when it came to his past.

"Maybe. She certainly is spirited, I've noticed." Naruto admitted. He wasn't one to sugarcoat anything. The only reason he said no the first time was because of his own duties as the caretaker. Otherwise, he would most likely have leaned towards saying yes.

In the deepest part of his being, Naruto was a teacher, like his role model before him. He loved passing on his own knowledge to the next generation. He felt that it was his duty as an adult to do so.

To not pass down knowledge was completely unthinkable to him. The world wouldn't be where it was now if people just kept secrets to themselves, now would it?

"I am...surprised, sensei. I would have never thought that you would consider taking on another student."

"I have been thinking about it often. Honestly, I was originally going to wait to see how Kono developed later in his years to see if he wanted to take up my martial arts." Naruto shrugged, "But...that girl, there's something interesting about her. Do you not feel the winds change ever so slightly once she shows her determination? I feel as if fate has intervened recently."

No. Haku didn't have a clue about what he was talking about it. He nodded nonetheless, allowing his boss to go on about his spiritual thoughts or what not.

"My ramen also tasted better at the thought of having a student today. I don't know. I thought that it was an omen perhaps...My ramen hadn't tasted that good in many years."

Now that was just random, Haku thought bemused.

"I am still undecided. For the moment, I will just watch the girl. I wonder when she is going to ask me again...After all, she did not volunteer to give a hand around here out of the kindness of her own heart, but to saté her ambition of becoming strong." The older man continued, mostly talking to himself. He didn't really have a problem with Honoka's subterfuge. It amused him if anything. "Motivation. I want to know her motivation...True strength can only come from the size of their conviction after all."

"Your other students weren't properly motivated?" Haku probed carefully.

"Oh, they were certainly motivated but for reasons I found most...undesirable. They wished to learn my art to kill others. You know the business, don't you Haku?"

The teen nodded. Although his father never made him take up mercenary work like many in their social circle, it was still a viable option. Haku was a pacifist for the moment. "Of course."

"I have long cut my ties with..._them. _The old clans would send their children to be trained by me but none of them could ever reach a summit that stood anything close to that of a true Master. No. The desire to merely kill for money or uphold their family pride...is not enough to gain my recognition."

Haku watched Naruto go on in silence.

"My martial arts have been used to kill enough people to last a life time. Perhaps it is time...for a change."

Naruto turned around, placed both hands behind his back, and stared at the distant plains through his moderate sized window. Noticing the obvious dismissal, Haku left the room in silence, but not before giving him a small bow.

He couldn't help but feel inspired by his words. Perhaps he would keep a closer eye on Honoka the next time they met.

* * *

END

I hope you enjoyed. I'm not really trying rush anything but I did want to show Naruto's spiritual side in the last scene. Like I said, he's like Iruka, that was the way I wanted to paint him in the first chapter. Except he's a bit more hot-headed. He doesn't actually believe in fate, he merely used it as an expression.

Also, I'm gonna let you all know. There is no way am I having Naruto train Kenichi [to the reviewers who suggested the idea]. He doesn't need anymore Masters and the idea is just too silly to even comprehend.

To the guy that caught my small hint at the last AN, yes, you are partially correct. Naruto's style is composed of a few martial arts. A real master never truly sticks to one style because through out their lives, they either branch out a bit to increase their capacity or create their own original techniques. Honoka will be learning Naruto's own, personal martial art.

BY THE WAY, apparently, I kept switching up Haku's 'he's' with 'she's'. I fixed them I hope. If you catch one, let me know in the reviews. This is my problem after swimming through femHaku stories the other day. So I blame you femHaku writers. Just kidding. I love femHaku stories. I can't guarantee I won't make this mistake again so just let me know any grammar mistakes and I'll take care of it. Thanks.

Ages:

Haku: 17

Have a nice day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**"A Lifetime"**

With Honoka

It has been two months since Honoka's first meeting with Naruto and her first week of volunteer work at the orphanage. It was a lot tougher than she had initially expected. Many of the orphans were younger than her and the oldest was only her age. Thankfully, that meant she had somebody her age to hang around with other than Konohamaru and his goon squad. Not that she minded them of course, it was just a nice change of pace.

Everyday after school, the young brunette girl would go straight to the orphanage and do small menial tasks such as carrying a few errands for the boss, help serve food to the kids and tell them stories. As expected, after the first day, Naruto became more and more active in the orphanage. According to those who lived there, he was always like that, but the past two days were just rather quiet. Also, Naruto took to teaching the kids before they all went to school and often helped the older kids with their own homework.

He was priceless as a teacher. His stern visage mixed very well with his natural charisma and good-natured smile. When ever Naruto spoke, every kid would hang on to his every syllable, always eager for their caretaker to teach them.

Honoka found herself admiring the man more and more as the days passed. Obviously, Naruto was very passionate about his profession. Despite being financially set, he would spend every single day looking after the children when he wasn't buried in paperwork. The days often went by quickly for Honoka now-a-days. She really did find life odd. When you are enjoying something, life would go very fast. But once you were miserable, life would slow down. Seriously, it made no sense.

One month ago, she had finally worked the courage to ask him to train her again. Much to her surprise, the stern blonde had seemed to be contemplating it before excusing himself. He hadn't said no to her, but rather said, "I'll sleep on it."

Of course, that had been a month ago and Honoka wasn't going to rush the man. She didn't want to feel like a pest to him in his own home after all. If he was going to make a decision like this, he should have a lot of time to think on it.

Maybe one month may have been too long. She would definitely ask him later.

"Man...things have been surprisingly good the last two months. Even Kenichi has been left alone by the stupid gangs around here!" She chirped happily. Having finally made it to the orphanage, Honoka opened up and looked around. More often than not, she would catch Naruto teaching the kids in the study room (which was just a large classroom) during this time of day.

He wasn't there.

"Huh, I wonder where he's at?" She mumbled and made her way outside to the backyard. On her way there, she met Haku.

"Hey, Haku-chan!" The male teen sincerely tried to hold back the twitch on his eye. "Where is Naruto? He's usually in the study!"

"Not today." The dark-haired boy replied with a shrug. "Sensei had to go on a trip late last night to meet an old friend. I don't really know what was up but he said to not worry about it. He'll be back later today I think."

"Oh. Ok." The girl nodded, disappointed that she wouldn't be talking with Naruto for a while. Honoka was very eager to get his answer.

"So...what should I do today?"

Motioning for her to follow, Honoka and Haku made their way to the field in the back. "Asuma-san will be in charge of the orphanage for the duration of our little trip."

"Huh? Trip?"

"Yes. I want you to accompany me to find Udon-kun's toy that he lost. Supposedly, they were wandering around in the forest again the other day, despite sensei's warning, and found themselves any angry mother bear. As they were running, Udon dropped his toy along the way. Some time later, sensei found them and scared off the bear."

Honoka couldn't help but sweat drop at the scene description.

"The kids sure do get themselves in a lot of trouble huh?" Haku nodded, agreeing with more than a little mirth.

"Yeah. That's why sensei is considering building some sort of fence to keep the children away from the forest. It really is troublesome for him to keep the kids out of harms way when they always find trouble voluntarily."

They then walked in silence before it was broken again, "So...what was the toy?"

"Ah! Right, sorry. It's an Astro Boy action figure. A classic. I believe sensei gave Udon that for his birthday last year."

"He sure is a really nice guy." Honoka let out a long sigh. "And he's strong too."

"Very." Haku seemed conflicted for a moment before continuing. With a grimace, he nodded to himself and spoke again.

"Honoka-san. Do you truly wish to learn martial arts from Naruto-sensei?"

The girl suddenly felt self-conscious and flushed under the boy's gaze. "Well, yeah! When I saw him take down those bullies in a flash, I just knew deep down that I wanted to learn how to protect people like he protected those kids. And he's strong...so you know, I thought he could teach me."

The boy's look turned very calculative before settling with a soft smile. "I see. I believe you were planning on asking him today, right?"

"H-how did you know?"

_"A great man just knows." _Haku remembered the random mumbling of Asuma before answering. "You had that look in your eye." Complete bullshit.

"O-oh. Wow, you're pretty sharp."

"Not really." He denied modestly. "I believe if you told him your motivations, than he would be more open to teaching you. Maybe."

"You think so?!" Honoka practically glowed at that.

_"I know so." _The boy left unsaid. "Yes."

"Awesome! Thank you Haku-chan!" Honoka pushed at the boy and grabbed his waist in a large hug, ignoring his exasperated sigh of, "I'm a boy."

They had walked for about two hours from that point. Honoka was beginning to get severely impatient from the searching for what seemed like an endless forest. It was then when she heard a soft growl.

Turning around, Honoka screamed in fright.

"Honoka?!" Haku exclaimed and turn to find the girl. His eyes easily zeroed in on where the noise came from and easily found her.

In front of the young girl was a large bear. It was about five times were regular height and thrice as wide. It's fur coat was completely black and it had the same colored eyes.

"H-help!" The bear began to stalk on her.

Without another thought, the teen ran quickly and delivered a double jump kick on the beast's chest, knocking it back into the ground behind it using a forward momentum from running. As it got back up, Haku jumped in mid-air and spun body forward like a wheel before landing a nasty heel kick to it's head, taking advantage of the extra velocity he built up with the spin. "Mihandou (Sword Kick)!" The bear went face first into the ground and even leaked out some blood from it's mouth.

Quickly, Haku grabbed Honoka in his arms and ran away from the scene, leaving the bear in his dust.

Ten minutes later, Haku noticed a glint on the ground and found the toy before settling down to rest for a moment.

"Are you alright, Honoka-chan?" Haku asked gently. The girl took a deep breath and shook it off, forcing a bit of a smile.

"I-I'm OK. Thanks for that, Haku-chan!"

"I wouldn't forgive myself if I had let you get hurt on my watch." He gave her a small embrace and she didn't move for a few minutes.

Letting out a content sigh, Honoka couldn't help but speak up between her comfort. "Say, are you sure Naruto doesn't train you? You beat a bear in a fight!" Haku smiled and ruffled her hair.

"My adopted father trains me in martial arts. I suppose the skill is very useful since this city has many fierce gangs."

"That was amazing. I really want to ask Naruto-san to train me now! If I can get as strong as you."

The boy just kept his modest look up. He didn't really think it was special. He was pretty sure Naruto scared away bears by just glaring at them so fighting one-off wasn't really impressive in his point of view.

Haku then looked into her eyes and he was a bit startled by the sheer amount of fire in them. It was a determination he had never seen well up before in the eyes of any child. It reminded the dark-haired teen of the old saying: "A picture is worth one thousand words." Honoka's eyes, while childish at first glance, held a fire that seemed unquenchable.

Was this what Naruto saw in the girl?

Where did that come from? He wondered idly as they walked back to the orphanage.

* * *

Back at the Orphanage

It was almost evening already.

Upon arrival, Haku began to hear a bunch of loud, crude noises from the front of the building. "What the hel- heck is that?" He amended in front of his young friend. No one wanted to be responsible for a child learning informal language.

"Stay here." Haku has asked of her but Honoka, ever the nosy child, followed him and watched as a mob of gang members began to form in front of the orphanage. They all looked out of it, perhaps more than slightly tipsy, and began to vandalize the building with all sorts of paints, food and mayhem.

"What the-" Honoka exclaimed, "Why are they here?!"

"I don't know." Haku answered tightly, annoyance creeping up into his eyes as one of the members throw a bottle of beer at the side of the building. "Where is Asuma? He should have been here!"

"Hahahahaha! Let's paint the town red crew! This is the Red Devil gang's territory."

"HEY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" The young Shirahama roared in anger as she ran to stop them.

"Wait! Honoka!" The dark-haired teen didn't expect her to just run out like that. _"What a hot-head!" _

Honoka made it in time and held her arms in front of the wall they were vandalizing. "Stop it! This is a home for orphaned kids! Don't you have any shame?"

"Huh?" One of the members, a brown-haired boy, grunted snidely. "Who's this little shit?"

"I dunno'." One of the others replied in a staggered voice. "Wuh? Why is there two of them?" He pointed at the defending girl.

"Y-you're - YOU'RE ALL DRUNK! I HATE YOU STUPID GANGS! ALWAYS WALKING AROUND LIKE YOU OWN THE TOWN! WHY DON'T YOU ALL JUST GET A LIFE AND LEAVE EVERYONE ELSE ALONE?!" Honoka screeched at them angrily. Her voice had broken a few times along the way, but tears welled as she saw the damage to the building.

"The kids don't have anything but this place. Why are you messing it up for them?!"

An unkempt teen walked up to her. Before Haku could find his common senses, he had to watch as the boy spat in her face.

"We can the whatever th' fuck we want girl. What the hell are you gonna do about i-" He couldn't even finish his sentence before a flash of blue sped in front and round-house kicked him to the other side of the street, knocking the young delinquent out-cold. It was Haku.

His entire body was shaking silently, but not in terror. He took one look at the group that had amassed in front of his old home.

Anger fueled him.

"How dare you." He spat out.

"Haku?" Honoka asked. He didn't answer her.

"To come here and have the gall to disrespect such a wonderful young lady. I think it is time for you all to leave."

Another one of the members stepped out. Honoka recognized him from a couple of months back when he was picking on Konohamaru. "And what are you going to do about it bitch?! Huh?"

"Nothing."

A cold, calm voice uttered quietly. The delinquent looked to the source and widened his eyes at who he saw. Fear gripped his heart once the blond, the one that had single-handedly destroyed his gang, had came into view from the shadow of the evening. Behind him was one other person, a slim man with a pine-apple like pony-tail that was tied vertically. He was wearing what looked like a very expensive suit and green tie. His face had a lazy expression but if one looked closely, he also seemed angered.

"Haku. Take Honoka back inside and have her cleaned up. Be sure to close the door and blinds. I don't want any of the children to watch." He said softly, before turning his eyes to the guy behind him. "Shika'. I'll see you in a minute."

"Troublesome. There's only about sixty of them. You could just knock them all out with your ki." The man pointed out half-heartedly. Without waiting for an answer, Shikamaru made for the door.

"I could." Naruto admitted easily. He then heard the door close and knob tighten. "But that wouldn't be much of a lesson, would it?" He whispered solemnly to himself.

As soon as he knew no one from the orphanage could see him, he spoke once more. This time, the barely contained rage leaked out.

"You are all lucky that I converted myself to the Katsujinken (Fist of Life) belief. However, that does not stop me from beating every single last one of you to an inch of your life."

Before the next sunrise, the police were quite confused by the sudden mystery of the appearance of sixty delinquents on their doorsteps; all of them looked like they had just been dropped off a slave ship, twitching sporadically and were mumbling about "demons" and "red eyes".

* * *

Naruto's Office: Later that Evening

Knock. Knock.

"Enter." Naruto said.

Honoka walked in looking refreshed from her earlier encounter. The dirt she had accumulated from her walk in the forest and any lingering spit from the delinquent were washed away in the shower sink. However, despite being spat on and losing her temper, Honoka managed to keep her spirits high and bright. Naruto could literally feel her aura bubbling like it was excited for something.

"Naruto-san. Haku-chan said that you wanted to talk to me before I left." Honoka said, kneeling down next to him.

Naruto had been sitting cross-legged on the perfectly smooth wooden floor, facing towards the door. "Yes." He reached for a kettle of tea and two cups. It only took a moment to set up a small table between them. Naruto always kept one of those small, portable tables around for occasions like these.

"Tea?" Honoka nodded, not wanting to seem rude by declining the offer. She took a sip and was impressed by the quality.

"It's good. Almost as good as my mom's."

Naruto smiled softly at that. "Thank you. I always aim for a high quality." He replied before pouring in his own.

"This room is nice." She observed. "The bookshelf is a very nice touch. It reminds me of my older brother's room. He's kind of a bookworm."

"Not a bad quality to have." Was Naruto's simple reply. "You seem...very intelligent for your age, Honoka-san."

"I'm an honors student!" Honoka puffed out her chest in pride, a smile on her face. "They say that I'm good enough to skip grades! But I don't wanna make my older brother feel bad about himself. He's very shy and he doesn't get very good grades because of it."

Naruto didn't answer immediately, preferring to pour more tea for the both of them. It was a very comfortable atmosphere.

"That's good. However, you shouldn't let something like that hold you back. Children should be allowed to be ambitious. You are too young to be holding yourself back." The blond said in a sage-like tone. His tone was not even a bit condescending, like most would when they referred to others as children. "The most important duty a student must uphold is the betterment of themselves from day-to-day. Nothing should come second."

Honoka seemed to ponder this for a moment. "But my brother..."

"Would never forgive himself if he ever found out that you held yourself back on his account. Nobody wants to be a burden on another." The blonde cut in respectfully. "Siblings should do everything they can to support one another, right?"

The girl brightened up and nodded. "Yeah! I guess you're right. But I can't really help it. I love my brother and I always want to protect him. I want to protect everything precious to me." She didn't know why she felt the need to add on the last sentence, it just came out of her mouth like an instinct.

Naruto let his thoughts linger on that last sentence before moving on.

"Haku told me what happened in the forest. I would like to apologize. I should have been the one to go retrieve the toy but I had something else to attend to. So I delegated that duty to Haku. Neither of you should have had to faced that bear. My negligence nearly lead you to injury or worse, death."

"It's OK. That was out of your control."

Naruto didn't show any outward facial responses. "Hm..." They sat comfortably for a while and made small talk.

"I don't want to pry." Honoka said shyly, scratching her head as she asked. "But I was just curious. The photo in the back of the room..."

"Ah." The caretaker nodded. The air grew briefly solemn. "That is my late wife and child. They passed away many years ago."

"O-oh. I'm so sorry." He waved if off dismissively.

"I've come to terms with it a long time ago. Do not worry yourself. After all, students should be allowed to ask their teacher's questions. Correct?"

Honoka nodded and sipped her tea serenely.

Only to freeze mid-way. Naruto noticed this and smirked at her, an expression she had never seen on him before. It was actually a very scary sight.

"H-huh?"

"How many times have you asked me to train you?"

Honoka tried to drop her stutter. And did so successfully. "Twice."

"Hm..." Naruto scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Lord Liu Bei* once traveled up a mountain in search for a great strategist. It was on the third time when he actually succeeded."

Honoka's aura seemed to burst in euphoria, he noticed, but her face stayed in a simple, shocked look. Her self-control was more than admirable. The blond definitely approved of it. However, that same quality would make it slightly difficult to truly assess what sort of style she would eventually settle into.

Dou or Sei?

Naruto watched as the girl made some space between herself and the table.

Honoka then humbly bowed her head down completely. Her posture was in complete submission.

"Naruto-san. Please teach me the way of martial arts."

The Master let one dramatic second pass.

"Very well, Shirahama Honoka. I accept you as my student. I will train you to become the most powerful martial artist in the world. That is my promise of a lifetime to you."

* * *

END

YOU KNOW I HAD TO USE THE PROMISE OF A LIFETIME LINE! Really, even though I thought it kind of cheesy the first time I saw it in the anime, it was just too memorable to forget. I grew to love that line because it sounds so...powerful. Not that lame when I'm older now. I can see how much it can mean to someone.

I think I might avoid writing Haku scenes for a while until I get this he/she thing out of my system. Seriously, I'm so damn paranoid right now.

Whelp, training begins next chapter. I'll admit, it's not the most extravagant way things could have went down but I wasn't really trying to beat around the bush. Naruto is looking down to pass on his teachings. He didn't decline the first time because he has some sort of issue. He did it because he was still unsure of her, and if taking the time to do it would be worth the effort. A Master must consider these things.

I will be revealing the name of the martial art Naruto will be teaching. I know some of you are expecting something that is real. Don't sweat it, even though the name of the martial art IS original, it had a lot of background from other martial arts. Like I said, it's an original style that branches from a real martial art. 

Shikamaru is 31.

*Did you notice that I had Honoka ask Naruto 3 times and she was accepted in the Chapter 3? Yep, I am a huge fan of Zhuge Liang. Lord Liu Bei sent in search for him 3 times, and succeeded on the 3rd. That day, he gained a great strategist for Shu, one of the three great Kingdoms in that era.

Some Naruto characters make appearances, not all of them. Just enough to create a sub-plot.

Well, that's it. Also, the next arc will be a relatively small training arc, followed by some events, followed by canon. That's the set up so far. I might even feature a Ryouzanpaku master somewhere down the line of the pre-canon chapters.

The chapters will get longer soon. It'll probably begin hitting 5000 or 6000 words by CH5 or 6. But that means I will need to take more time to produce the chapters and read over them.

Have a nice day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**"Cloud and Dragon"**

With Naruto and Honoka

"Hey, where are we going Naruto-sa- I mean, Naruto-sensei?" Honoka asked innocently. At the moment, the two newly formed master and student were walking down a train station. He had asked her to accompany him to go somewhere in the city. He had mentioned Chinatown. Honoka had never went there before so she thought it was a good idea to see new sights.

It was only yesterday when she was officially accepted as his disciple of martial art. Of course, she did have to run it by her family. Her mother was completely supportive as was her father, albeit he was not as enthusiastic. He did see the value of learning the art to protect herself though and it would make her a better person, as did all protagonists in kung fu movies were.

Honoka didn't want to mention that the villains in said movies were also martial artists.

Kenichi was slightly skeptical but shrugged, he figured that it wasn't any of his business. However, he did mention that her doing martial arts did kind of inspire him to maybe join the Karate Club in his middle school.

He didn't sound too ambitous about that though.

But there was one thing Honoka failed to mention to her family. It was the fact that she would be learning under a true Master and didn't divulge anything beyond the fact that she was learning how to defend herself. She let them assume that she would be joining some sort of exercise club that eventually lead to martial arts.

Honoka wasn't lying to them. She just understated the truth. It wasn't because she was ashamed of being a disciple of Naruto, but rather; she wasn't sure how her family would feel about how high her level of dedication to learning martial arts would be. Naruto had told her that she would have to sacrifice many of her needs to truly be his disciple.

She didn't even hesitate to comply.

Also, she wasn't sure how her parent's would take to her newest dream.

To become the world's greatest martial artist.

It wasn't her original dream of course. At first, she hadn't ever thought such a thing would be possible but the look of determination on her sensei's face was all she needed for her to have a change of mind set. It also fit into her original goal of being strong enough to protect all weak people from bullies.

After all, who better than the best was more qualified to protect those who couldn't do so for themselves?

"We're going to see an old friend of mine to get a second opinion on the nutrition plan I planned for you. I also thought that it would be a good idea to introduce you to him. He's a good man and he will help those he believes deserves it." Naruto replied.

"Nutrition plan?" Honoka asked, curious.

"Yes. You are still young and your body is still growing. However, to fit the needs of my martial arts, you need to build your body in a certain type of way so it won't hinder any future progress."

"Oh! That makes sense. I always just thought that people went to the gym and lifted weights or something like that."

The blond master shook his head. "No, lifting weights and building your body in such a singular way would eventually make your body too...bulky, so to speak. The style I will teach you requires a delicate balance of speed, flexibility and strength. Since you are still young, we will be focusing more on the first two."

"I see..."

"Not only will I be teaching you how to fight, Honoka-" He said in a sagely tone. "It is my duty as your teacher to make sure your mind is just as strong as your body. One can only stand on top once they reach enlightenment on both Heaven and Earth."

"Huh?" The girl didn't quite understand the last part. "What do that mean?"

"That's something I will let you find out on your own time, disciple." He gave her an infuriating enigmatic grin. "Now come on, our train has arrived."

They were headed to a place called Yokohama, which was where a Chinatown was situated. "There's a lot of gang activity that goes on there so I don't ever want you to come here without me. At least for now." He paused thoughtfully, "Perhaps in one or two years, you will be coming here on your own accord. Many martial artists dwell here and a lot of them range from disciple level to expert level, with a few Masters here and there. You don't seem to be the type to not go somewhere because it is a _little _dangerous."

"Cool!" Honoka sighed dreamily, not at all denying his last observation. She was a very adventurous person, there was no denying it. "Wow, I didn't know Japan was so big!" Honoka said as she gazed out of the train window.

"There will come a time when you will be traveling all over the world, Honoka. Japan is only a small percentage of this planet." The blonde pulled out a top hat and tinted glasses seemingly out of nowhere, causing Honoka to quick a brow.

"What's with the disguise?"

"I'm a bit well known there and I don't want anyone stopping us on our visit." She nodded at his explanation.

It wasn't a long train ride at all, having only been twenty minutes. Yokohama was a very lively town and people seemed to be very active. The shops were full, the restaurants were loud and the people spoke quietly, but the sound of it all was booming all together.

This was Honoka's first time in a city so big.

"I want you to memorize the route." The girl nodded. After fifteen minutes, the two was standing in front of a place called Imperial Wrath Chinese Restaurant. When they walked in, Naruto smoothly asked the receptionist. "Is Hakubi around?"

"Yes sir. He's around back." The girl nodded and pointed to the back door. "He's expecting you, Naruto-san."

Honoka was surprised by the interior design of the place. The restaurant, at first glance, had only two floors but she could see more stairs on the back part of the second, implying that the building had more space for people to eat at. The entire first floor was packed with people who were eating and generally going on with their lives.

The two found there way to the back and Honoka caught sight of an old Chinese man with a dark mustache, beard, round shaded glasses and wore traditional Chinese robes.

Her sensei bowed respectfully to him. "Hakubi. It has been a while."

"Naruto! You don't know how surprised I was to hear from you the other day. How long has it been?"

Naruto paused before answering, "About...five, six years? Give or take. I haven't really counted."

"Indeed. So, what's this I hear about a nutrition plan? You didn't divulge any information over the phone. It was certainly an odd request." The old man looked to the blonde's side and saw Honoka, who stood straighter at his attention.

"U-um, Hello! My name is Shirahama Honoka. Naruto-sensei has just recently accepted be as his disciple. It is very nice to meet you!" She bowed, copying what she saw from her master mere moments ago.

"A very polite young girl! My name is Ryou Ma but you may refer to me as Uncle Hakubi." He smiled down to her giving Honoka an impression of a kind, caring old man, "I see now. You wish for a second opinion?"

"To be honest, it was more of an excuse to introduce her to you. This is my first lesson to her." Honoka looked up at her teacher with a questioning gaze. He merely grinned.

"Friends and allies. You can not have enough of them. Hakubi is a good man and he is the most knowledgable man in Yokohama. However..." He gave the older man a look, "I would like it if you would keep my newest disciple a secret from the world for now."

"You didn't even need to ask."

"Huh? Why?" The girl asked. Hakubi raised an eyebrow at Naruto, who merely shrugged.

"Like I said, I'm sort of famous around these parts. If people knew you were my disciple, master's left and right would be getting in line to have their own disciples fight you. Obviously, I cannot allow that quite yet." Honoka wasn't sure to make of that. But it was cool to know that her new master was a famous fighter.

"Well...enough of that. Come, I'll have someone bring us dinner."

And so they talked. And talked. Honoka did truly enjoy the dinner however but most of the conversation was difficult for her to follow. It involved a lot of science and proper nutrients in the body. The topic was not something they taught at her level of schooling, so she couldn't even get an idea of what was going on. Not to mention the two would often switch between Japanese and Chinese language.

_"I should probably take that offer to move up grades then." _Her master had said that it was important to keep a sharp mind. If Naruto said it, then she would believe it.

"Hm...I suppose that will be all." Naruto finished as he wrote down Hakubi's advice. "Thanks, Hakubi."

"Heh, you would have probably ended up putting her in this plan with or without my advice." The chinese man shrugged. "It was a delightful visit though. You should come by every now and then...and be sure to bring your disciple!" Honoka smiled and flushed.

"I will."

The two bowed to Hakubi and turned to leave Yokohama.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Orphanage

"...*sigh*..."

"...*snoring*..."

"...*sigh*..."

"...*snoring*..."

"...*sigh*..."

"OH WILL YOU SHUT UP!?" Haku yelled out all of a sudden, frightening both Asuma and Shikamaru, who had been asleep a second before.

Asuma had been in a very solemn mood ever since he returned the next morning to hear about the attack on the orphanage. Had he stayed, the mob would have never amassed so quickly and they would have all avoided the situation entirely. But as punishment, Naruto had Asuma clean up the mess the gang members had caused to the building. It started with the bad paint job that was done, followed by a lot of scrubbing and refurnishing of the plants that was also damaged.

The truth was, Asuma had only left because his wife, Sarutobi Kurenai, had asked him to pick up groceries for her and he had ended up staying the night with his family. Nobody really blamed him but being the self-righteous person he was, Asuma volunteered to take a punishment. Naruto merely pointed at the direction.

Shikamaru cursed. "Jeez, will you be quiet? I'm trying to get some Z's here..." He mumbled tiredly and wiped his eye of a stray tear.

"S-sorry about that, Shikamaru-san. I've just been a bit on edge." Haku quietly responded.

The dark-haired boy took a lot of what had happened on his own shoulders, specifically for allowing Honoka to be spat on my the accursed delinquent. Had he been more alert, she would have been steered clear of the danger.

"Don't worry about it. Man...I have to admit though sensei, this short vacation has been very relaxing."

The older man snorted. "All you've done around here is sleep and play Othello with the children."

The middle aged man smiled, "Yep. Relaxing indeed."

Nara Shikamaru was the vice-president of a very influential company that produced games for children all over the world. He had been born into a huge empire, and he was next in line to take over he company after his father retired. However, what the public didn't know was that the company was only a front for the true business that occured. Shikamaru's family had been tied to some of the other clans of a mercenary social circle, meaning that he had to be trained at a young age to defend himself and take missions to uphold his family image.

Being a scion to a very rich company was definitely not as easy as many people thought it would be. But no one would ever know, not that Shikamaru ever cared about that.

"Say, Shikamaru-san, why did you decide to leave America and come here all of a sudden? I mean, that is quite a long flight after all."

"Hm. As you know, Asuma here is my sensei of sorts. He called me in to do some outrageous things-"

"-Outrageous things that actually happened." The elder man's interruption was short and smug.

"-Nonetheless, I just thought that it was a good idea to take a small vacation. My work is very difficult and stressful. My wife also made me tie up any loose ends before coming here. It was all very troublesome."

"Where is Temari anyway?" Asuma asked. He let out a small sigh of content as soon as he finished painting away the damage on the orphanage wall.

"She's with her girlfriends at our private beach in France." Shikamaru shrugged. He then took out a cigar from his inner coat and placed it in his mouth before lighting it.

"Oooooh, fancy." Asuma widened his eyes at the spectable. "Cuban?"

"Have your eyes checked old man. It's Dominican. Ashton..." Shikamaru let out a small puff and smirked when he saw the flash of jealousy in Asuma's eyes. "And no, you have to play me in Shogi to earn one of these babies."

"But I suck..." He whined childishly but nodded in compliance. "Oh very well."

It only took a few minutes to set the board up. Feeling pretty bored himself, Haku turned to watch the game. Keeping a constant watch over the children in the backyard was getting tiresome.

"Hm...I see you still prefer to play defensively." Shikamaru observed as he moved a pawn. "Always the fancy defenses with you huh? I see that Yagura Castle coming from miles away."

"Show off." The Sarutobi grumbled under his breath and mentally switched strategies.

"...This place is suddenly very boring without Honoka-chan." Haku sniffed, "You two are very boring."

"It's a matter of taste. We're not very energetic people." Shikamaru admitted without shame. "I am curious about the girl though. I admit, she does have a certain air about her, but it doesn't seem that much different from when Hanabi began. Although, I do admit that Honoka-san is less uptight."

"Hanabi's motives were completely different at the time. She was under the weight of a lot of pressure from the Hyuuga elders." Asuma said. "It's no surprise. Honoka, despite lacking in any sort of pressure, has as much determination as Hanabi."

"I suppose. But we shouldn't jump the gun about that. It could be very possible that the girl will quit mid-way. I mean, Naruto hasn't even begun her training."

Haku disagreed. "You haven't seen her eyes Shikamaru-san. She seems to have a very strong drive!"

"Whatever." The man grunted in reply. "I've seen many bright eyes dim. Martial artists tend to jade over the years. The man that runs this place is a prime example of that..." The Nara muttered solemnly.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"...You haven't known Naruto for very long, I'm guessing."

"I've known him since I was a child."

"But by then, he was already an adult. A powerful one at that. He had already seen things that would make many grown men lose themselves in despair." He replied and dramatically placed down his Silver General. "Checkmate."

"W-what?!" Asuma exclaimed and checked the board. "Oh you son of a-" He barely caught the cigar that hit his face.

Shikamaru laid down on the smooth wooden floor of the orphanage and gazed at the clouds peacefully.

"What do you mean, Shikamaru-san?" Haku knew of Naruto's underworld reputation but details were always scarce.

"Forget about it. Children like you wouldn't understand that line of work."

Haku bristled at his tone and word choice but didn't reply at all. He just settled with watching the kids play at a distance once again. But he couldn't help but let his own thoughts dwell on the words of Shikamaru. Just what kind of man was his sensei back then?

* * *

With Naruto and Honoka

It was about twelve in the afternoon and Naruto was currently standing in front of the forest behind the orphanage along side Honoka. They had arrived an hour back and he had made sure to greet Shikamaru before leaving him to hang out with Asuma. Honoka just bowed and smiled for the moment. She was too excited about her training to really make conversation.

Naruto had asked her to wear running attire; simple gray sweats and a light shirt was her choice.

"Alright. First things first. We'll be working on physical ability." He pointed to the mountain that was fairly high in the sky and far away in distance. "We will be running all the way up the mountain and then back here."

"For the entire day?" Honoka asked with a frown. She had kind of wanted to learn some sort of technique of secret punching style from him.

Naruto chortled. "Oh no, don't be silly." Honoka let out a sigh of relief.

"We'll be making it all the way there and back in about thirty minutes."

"W-W-WHAT?!" She exclaimed loudly. "That's not possible! That has to be about ten miles! And we have to run back?"

"Good eyes, it's actually about eleven and a half but you were close. Nonethless, as long as I'm around, anything is possible. Now, let's not waste any time. Today is Sunday after all, no time like the present to go for a good run in the wild." He then changed to a more authoritative tone, "And no whinging either. It'll only be a waste of breath for you."

"R-right, sensei." She nodded and began her run, despite all of her doubts about doing this.

* * *

Fifty minutes later

Honoka was breathing heavily on the floor, looking as if she were going to faint. Her feet, legs and pretty much her entire body, felt as if they were on fire. The run was completely outrageous and ridiculous for a first event but she dared not complain. Naruto hadn't even looked like he even broke a sweat. His breathing was still steady and he looked almost the exact same as before the run, except he was slightly flushed.

"Not bad for a first time. But you definitely need to improve yourself. I really do want you to cut it to thirty minutes. Otherwise, we just won't have anytime for other drills." The blond admitted.

"H-hai! Sensei."

"Now then, go stretch near the porch. I'll be right back."

_"That was crazy." _Honoka thought as she stretched her legs.

"How was it?" A lazy voice beside her asked, startling Honoka. _"W-was he there a second ago?" _

"U-uh, it was pretty tough." She replied in between taking calming breaths. "I didn't see you there, Shikamaru-san."

The man nodded. "Naruto is a very strict teacher. He will be asking a lot out of you so do your best."

"Yeah!" She exclaimed and gave him a thumbs up. "I'm definitely going to surpass his expectations!"

"We'll see about that." Shikamaru smiled and pointed to where Naruto was walking in, carrying a bunch of seemingly random equipment. Well, at least it was to Honoka. Once Shikamaru saw them, his eyes gained an amused tone.

"Heh. Back to the basics, eh?" He nodded to his old friend.

Naruto merely shrugged. "The basics have never betrayed any martial artist."

"True enough."

"Huh, what's that for?" She looked at the candle, several bowls and a rice pot. "We're eating?"

The business man of the group laughed at that comment. "Oh man...I love watching newbies take on the horse stance drill."

"Indeed. Honoka, come here." She complied and stood parallel to him from the side. "Alright, I'm going to show you a stance and I want you to copy it."

Naruto widened his legs and got into a very low stance. He then stretched both his arms to his side in a wide motion. Honoka copied him immediately, though she felt a bit silly doing so.

"Is this right?"

"Yes. Now hold that and don't move." He took three bowls and put two in her hands in a gripping motion. "Hold them tight. Don't let go." They had a fairely decent grip so it wasn't too hard.

At first.

The blond then placed a bowl on her head. Honoka started a bit, "Don't move!" Naruto ordered and she complied. "This is a balance and strength exercise. I want you to maintain this stance."

"For how long?" She asked. Only fifteen seconds had passed and she was already tiring. _"This is tougher than I thought." _

_"She's not bad...I couldn't even hold it for thirty seconds." _Shikamaru remembered his old days back when he was seven and had begun training. The horse stance, while not as big of a pain as many other exercise, was still a huge pain overall.

Honoka began to truly show her pain at two minutes and she let the bowl from her head drop, breaking it. Not used to the noise, she also dropped the other two in fright.

"Not bad for a first time..." The Master observed. "Hm...again!"

And that went on for the next hour where Naruto would continually adjust the bowls, sometimes even placing them on her legs, making the burden even more difficult.

"Get lower!" He produced a straight stick from out of nowhere and corrected her stance. "You are too high in your stance. Get lower."

Honoka could almost feel the candle fire below her touching the pants she was wearing. It was stinging.

"Good...stay like that." He would often have her carry many numerous things such as pots and even swords. "I want you to get used to holding and carrying different things as you keep the balance of the Horse Stance." Naruto explained. "We will be doing this for one hour everyday. Well, on the days I will allow you to physically train."

"I won't be training everyday?"

"Oh no." Naruto walked over to the porch and picked up a book he had gotten. "I will be teaching you how to speak Chinese. It will also include homework and a lot of self-study on chinese culture, myth and a lot of that jargon." He paused to replace the bowl she had dropped and placed it back.

"This is tough. Anyway, why do I have to study Chinese?"

Naruto spared a glance at Shikamaru who seemed to be watching in a relaxed position. "It is always good to keep a sharp mind. A martial arts bout is more than just being physically stronger than the opponent, you must also be smarter than them."

_"One can only stand on top once they reach enlightenment on both Heaven and Earth." _Honoka remembered from earlier that day. "Right."

"Also..." Her Master turned to face the clouds. "It is generally a good idea to learn where your new skills originated from. You don't want to sound ignorant once somebody asks you about it, do you?" She shook her head quickly there. Unfortunately, she winced, the action made her drop another bowl.

After replacing it and giving her a stern look, Naruto said. "More discipline, Honoka."

"So...what is the name of the martial arts that you practice?"

Her Master just continued to gaze at the sky. _"Of course I get the over-dramatic Master!" _She glared holes into his back. Shikamaru seemed to notice this and coughed back a laugh.

"These drills I am putting you through are exercises I picked up when I was traveling in China. I had spent many months studying the ways of the Shaolin monks of old. They're motto of maintaining consistency was something that I agreed with and I incorporated many of their basic principles into my own martial arts."

"When I was a young man, I was taught a killing style known as the Konoha Ryuu (Leaf Style). The basic idea of that style was to aim for vitals and kill opponents as quickly as possible. It focused more on speed and strength rather than technique. However, as I grew and grew, I realized that this style was too straight forward and obsolete. Strength and speed was not enough anymore as the world of martial arts continuously became a tougher place to survive in. So I traveled the world on a quest to improve myself."

"I've been all over the world and I have fought many opponents. Through my wins and losses, I gained so many ideas on how to improve my skill. But by the time my quest had ended, my new style didn't even resemble the Konoha Ryuu any more; but an improved version that was heavily influenced by several others styles."

Honoka listened in rapt attention.

Naruto turned to face his student and rose his hands. "When the tower of humanity reaches the sky, Dragons shall descend from the Clouds to bring it down. Once an opponent marches too close to our summit, we shall watch them and study them from the clouds before destroying them with our fangs. In China, they call it the Yúnlóngquán (Cloud Dragon Fist). In Japan, they call it the Unryūken; the fists that wields the enigmatic power of a mighty Dragon. It defeats enemies from both outside and in. This is my style."

Naruto couldn't help but notice the bright stars in his pupil's eyes. Shikamaru was leaking out a ton of mirth from his face.

He merely quirked his brow.

"Oh nothing." Shikamaru chuckled and waved his hands a bit. "I see your speaking skills are still up to par. You sounded like someone really cool for a moment."

The blond Master merely scoffed. "Whatever." He turned his eyes back to the disciple. "Listening to a story is no excuse for slacking off! Get lower!"

* * *

END

I was pretty unhappy with this chapter. I wanted to get more in but...it just wouldn't flow right.

I do hope people like the name of his style. I even bothered translating it into two languages. If you don't...whelp, can't please them all.

We all have to start with the Horse Stance. Even Kenichi did. Although, I have to admit that Akisame is a demon of hell when it comes to what he puts Kenichi through. I'm honestly surprised he hasn't died yet. And I'm more surprised he isn't some awesome beast either.

Her core conditioning is Shaolin monk training. There will be a lot of speed and flexibility emphasis. Obviously, I only gave you guys a description, I think it was a decent one. Nutrition plan scene was more of an excuse to introduce Hakubi who will be a huge confidante of Honoka through out the story.

More training and sub-plot progression next chapter. I won't be uploading chapters everyday, I'm not that good. I'm just on a real good roll right now.

Thanks and have a nice day.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**"The Underworld of Martial Arts"**

Five Months Later - Yokohama Chinatown

Shirahama Honoka sat tiredly at the mini-bar of Hakubi's personal restaurant. Her head was droopy and her hair was frazzled to the point of being comical. Every single muscle in her yet to be developed body ached in what was akin to white hot fire due to the training regimen her new martial art master had put her through. It had been five long, grueling months for the girl who decided to walk the path of a martial artist. It goes without saying that one should often be careful of what they wish for.

If there was one thing she learned in the past five months, it was one simple fact.

Uzumaki Naruto knew no mercy.

Sure, Honoka had suspicions when he had been nonchalant when asking her to run up a ten mile mountain and back in under thirty minutes. Fortunately, compared to what he was forcing her to do now, that old exercise would have been heaven on earth. When Honoka had finally cut her regular time from fifty minutes to fifteen minutes, Naruto had decided to give her a weighted gi. Of course, this only forced her back for the first few weeks before getting accustomed to it.

But her Master would only continue to add more and more.

She had many exercises that was prior to her basic form training. Many of them ranged from having to run with weighted clothes to having to do underwater running. No, underwater running may have sounded silly to a regular person, but her training was anything but regular.

He didn't know how he did it. How he managed to produce fast and violent whirlpools inside of an inside pool (apparently, the Orphanage had one of those too) was beyond her. When Honoka asked, the blonde merely shrugged and said, "Some weird fellow helped me with the design." The girl was hesitant to even ask why such a design was implemented in the first place.

Anyway, Honoka was resting at her new friend's restaurant at Chinatown. After their first meeting, the ice had broken between Honoka and Hakubi and she used whatever allowance she had left to visit him now and then. One would think that it was dangerous for an eight year old to be going to Chinatown alone and against her own Master's wishes. The girl didn't really care; her sense of danger had dulled three months ago when Naruto made Haku throw knives at her during evasion practice.

The Master had said, "If you can dodge knives, you can dodge punches." The logic didn't make any sense whatsoever in her opinion. She had been nicked dozens of times but luckily for her, Haku turned out to be a skilled medic of sorts. Any wounds she had after a particularly dangerous day of training, the dark-haired teenager would take care of them.

Honoka was very grateful for the very feminine looking boy. He had a heart of gold.

As she slurped up another helping of noodles, the girl reflected on the fighting style she was being taught. Needless to say, when she finally decided to stop a handful of bullies from picking in Konohamaru; the true nature of Yúnlóngquán (Cloud Dragon Fist) was very clear. It was a bittersweet moment for the young brunette girl. Despite the overwhelming and almost zealous praise Konohamaru rained down upon her, she could still taste the blood of the bullies in her mouth as the sheer power of her punches drew it from their wounds. The taste of blood was like metal and she hated it.

It was quite clear that the style she was learning was meant for one thing and one thing only.

To kill.

Did she really know what she was getting into? Maybe her impulsive youth really had gotten the best of her this time. Perhaps she was a bit too young to really getting blood on her hands. Though she hadn't killed, Honoka had certainly hurt the bullies. There was one thing that she would never forget that day as well.

The way the older teenagers had looked at her when the deed was done. They had looked at her as if she were something abnormal...something like a monster.

That was unacceptable. She was learning this art to help people in need, not to be seen as a violent child. It completely contradicted her beliefs.

Sighing to herself, Honoka shook her head. No, this was what she wanted; strength to protect her precious people and to be the best in the world. The goals coincided, fortunately for her.

"Is something the matter, Honoka?" Hakubi gazed down at her. Despite his small grin, his eyes glistened with something akin to curiosity in them. "You seem...tired."

"Just training Uncle. Sensei has been...relentless as of late. I didn't think my body would have been capable of what it's doing these days, say, five months ago. I'm tired."

The shades wearing old man nodded. "I understand. However, you've done a great job so far. My, I don't think I've seen Naruto this excited in a very long time. He truly enjoys teaching disciples you know, even during the dark times of his life, teaching was his light within a spiral of darkness."

"...I don't know what you mean Uncle. Was Sensei like super famous of something?"

"I would say he is more infamous than famous. But yes, he is well known in the martial arts realm."

Honoka nodded. Usually, she would try to pry more out of him but when she tried, Hakubi would just shut it down. If she wanted to get information on her Sensei, she would have to do so herself. The girl didn't suspect her Master to just tell her his past so...easily. Besides, he had always told her that gathering information was a useful skill in any profession. Perhaps she would start some other time.

"So how is your training going?" He asked.

The girl took a moment to consider her response. "Conditioning is on track. Sensei says that I am progressing well and my speed and leg power are improving at a rapid pace. He usually has me repeating katas for the longest every training day and during weekends, I say the most time would be three hours on them max. Also, he's been giving me several unique lessons once or twice a week to enhance my repertoire of techniques. I began practicing telegraphing an opponent's movements a month ago."

"Telegraphing huh?" Hakubi roused. _"Very advanced for a child." _

"Yeah. It's really hard though because sensei's punches are so hard to keep track of. Despite his best efforts at holding back, his movements are still too fast to follow so Haku-chan volunteered to spar with me in his place. I can telegraph movements but I still have a hard time countering." She admitted. "Well, countering Haku-chan is hard I mean. I can easily take down street punks."

"My, my...you are improving so much for one so young." The old man observed. "You remind me of my nephew's daughter. She is also a very talented martial artist."

"Sensei demands a lot. I just try my best." Honoka replied. "He says that I should practice more on my countering to make up for lack of strength. Since my conditioning is more focused on flexibility and speed, I'll be lacking in strength."

"Strength can be compensated with technique. Naruto is rather clever. He believes your strength will grow as you age."

"I feel plenty strong. My punches drew blood from some bullies I was fighting off a while back." Honoka sighed and took in another bite.

"Bullies?"

"Yeah. Some dumb gang was picking on some kids from another elementary school. When I fought them, my punches were one hit KO's. They thought I was a monster or something." Honoka mumbled. Hakubi only smiled and ruffled her hair.

"You are no monster, silly girl. I mean, you are way too cute to be a monster." She glowed at the compliment. "Well, it is getting really late." He pointed to the clock. It was seven.

"Ok, I'll be going Uncle." She began to take out her wallet, only to stop as Hakubi pinched her cheeks affectionately.

"Silly Japanese girl, I've told you this a million times. It's on the house. That is until you stop visiting of course..." He mumbled darkly. "Nobody ever has the time to visit Hakubi anymore."

"Xièxiè Uncle! And thank you!" She waved and ran off to catch the next train.

"So after five months, she finally realized that she can earn points with me by speaking Chinese. Silly girl."

* * *

Orphanage Backyard: Personal Training Ground

The Next Day.

"Honoka! Enough, come here. Stretch and finish up first."

"Hai, Sensei."

Naruto sat calmly with his hands resting beneath his head as he allowed his gaze to reach the blue sky. His mind was going over his mental list of lessons he had contemplated going over for the next few months. The girl was without a doubt a hard worker and she soaked up his lessons like a sponge to water.

Honoka wasn't what people would call a genius by any means. Despite cliché popular manga plot-lines, geniuses in battle definitely appeared only once in a generation, or even less than that. Even those who many could perceive as geniuses were most likely trained from birth. Being given a head start and having an abnormal amount of talent were two different things as far the the blond was concerned. Honoka was one of the many that stood in between average and genius. She had surpassed Naruto's initial expectations and her fire for learning the path was still driving her to push past her boundaries. That was a good thing.

The toughest job was usually putting a foot in the door. Now she just had to maintain her form.

"Sit." He pointed in front of him. Naruto took a moment to set up a square board with dozens of pieces placed on individual tiles. "Have you read the rules?"

"Hai! I've memorized the movement of each piece and I've been playing with almost everyone I meet for the last month." Honoka explained as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Well done. Let's play then."

"If you don't mind sensei, could you tell me how this effects my training? I mean, it's a really fun game! But it's just a game."

"Good question. It's tactics, Honoka. Shogi will keep your mind sharp and constantly on the move."

"But in a fight, everything happens so fast. When would I be able to even think?"

"Do you remember my last lesson?"

Honoka's eyes lit up and nodded. "Hai! Predicting and countering telegraphed movements. I can see how things fit but in shogi, there is a lot of time to make moves."

"Before a battle, you must always have a plan of action. Running into a fight without one is just too foolish to consider." He replied easily. "However, in the midst of battle, plans will change so your point is valid. But I have fixed that easily."

"How?"

"Easy. We're going to change how this game is played." Naruto took out a small timer clock. "We both get ten seconds to make a move. Once the time is up, a piece must be moved. If you don't, I will move one for you."

"I-I see..." That sounded difficult. To force her to come up with tactics on the spot like that was a devious thing to do. "That sounds really tough."

"Don't be intimidated, disciple. This is only the beginning. I will eventually lower the time to five or three seconds. So...enjoy the ten seconds I am giving you."

And so they played. The first time around, Honoka only last eight moves before getting crushed. The second time, it was fifteen moves. She only got better and better in the two hours they played.

The blonde found an interesting mind in the brunette. While she didn't come up with elaborate or unpredictable strategies, the girl did manage to eventually adapt to the flow of a game. She usually never made the same mistake twice but that ended up being her downfall, since she followed a pattern. Honoka was still a novice so it didn't really surprise him.

"Alright, that's enough for now." Naruto said, sensing a presence nearby. "Go punch out the candles for an hour. Make sure to strap the weights. After that, do two thousand squats in the pool."

"Hai!"

That was another drill she didn't really understand either. He had told her that it was supposed to, "Emphasize the explosive nature of her punch." She hated it when her sensei spoke so indirectly. Did that mean that it made her punch stronger or do something else?

She left and went to the room designated for that.

xxx

With Naruto

As soon as the door close, Naruto called out. "Asuma?"

Sarutobi Asuma appeared from behind the corridor and went to stand behind him. "I have news. Bad news." He said grimly with a cigarette in his mouth.

"What is it?"

The older man sighed and gave him a folder he had held. Naruto opened it and felt a cold sweat break at the images.

"Shikamaru faxed this earlier today. Your enemies have grown stronger. They can now afford to attack the Council of Sun without serious repercussion. Two of the five Masters have already been killed."

Naruto merely flipped through the files in silence. But Asuma could tell that he was shocked.

"So...soon." The blond grimaced. "I knew the Council of Sun would fall one day but they were the only ones that would accept me into their ranks. They only intended to use my name to scare off any potential enemies."

"If the Council falls, than you will be seen as vulnerable once again. Once your enemies realize that you are without the proper backing of a company, they will send _them_."

Naruto nodded, "Agents of the ANBU Black Ops. It has been a while since I've seen them. They are not strong individually-"

"-Maybe to a beast like you." Asuma grunted.

"-But they move in large groups. I have no doubt that they will send multiple platoons to assassinate me." He finished and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Honoka will be in danger." His fist tightened. "And this orphanage..."

"Yes. If the Council falls, they will come here and they will raze this place to the ground."

There was a tense silence.

"I must speed up Honoka's training in case...the worst happens." Naruto concluded darkly.

"What would the worst be?" Asuma asked.

Naruto moved a random piece on the shogi board. "They hire an army of Masters to come hunt me down. It all depends. How long do you suppose I have?" He asked conversationally, changing his tune almost instantly.

Asuma scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe one or two years. If you're lucky. The Council of Sun is not exactly a powerful name to hide behind."

"Plenty of time to teach her some worthwhile techniques."

"Not all of them...And you are assuming you will survive the coming storm." Asuma pointed out.

"I have a promise to keep, Asuma. I won't die." He smiled. "Anyway, it will be a good experience for Honoka. She is still young. I want to see how she works with what I give her."

"Ah..." The bearded man realized. "That's why you're starting up her tactics training now. You never intended to teach her any more than the basics."

"Not at all. I'm not that cruel. I will be teaching her the 'Sky Dragon Steps'."

"So soon? She's just a kid! Not even Hanabi..." Naruto waved him off, silencing his opinion.

"It is my judgement call and I think she will be ready soon. I think I will begin teaching her that next spring. Her body should be strong enough to handle it. If not, then give or take a few months. Either way, she definitely won't master it while I am here."

"Power like that in the hands of a child." Asuma only shook his head. It's not that he didn't believe in Honoka, it was just something he wasn't sure was the right thing to do.

"I believe in my disciple!" Naruto stated with nothing but pure conviction. His eyes (literally) glowed when he faced the man. And suddenly, Asuma felt as if he were the foolish one in that conversation. The blonde's words were filled with so much confidence that the older man found himself questioning his own training methods.

"I understand."

"Thank you for informing me, Asuma. You have done so much for me these past years." The older man waved off his thoughtful comments.

"It is the least I could do for the man that saved my family. What are you planning, Naruto?" Asuma asked, watching the blonde randomly move around shogi pieces again.

"I am unsure. Despite my friendship with Hakubi, I cannot join the Phoenix Alliance. That would cause too much inner turmoil. I've made enemies with more than half of them in the past." He sighed. His sins of the past really were catching up to him now.

The Sarutobi seemed to be contemplating something. "...How about Yami?"

The shogi piece in between Naruto's finger cracked. "Not an option. Besides, I fight for the Katsujinken (Fist of Life). Yami...is quite the opposite." His tone left no room for argument. There seemed to be something lingering at that topic but Asuma didn't go further.

"I see. Man, this really is a problem."

"It is." Naruto acknowledged. "I have two years to plan for that time. Do not worry yourself Asuma. They will only aim for me, and me alone. Not you or this orphanage. But me."

"Perhaps Shikamaru..." Naruto shook his head at Asuma's suggestion.

"I have brought enough grief to his clan. We may be friends but his clan will not accept me as an ally. I am sure they would rather kill me." The blonde explained curtly. "And do not even bring the Hyuuga into this conversation." He saw the look in Asuma's eyes.

"You have way too many enemies at thirty-three, kid." The Sarutobi scoffed.

"Such is life. It is unfair, as they say." Naruto shrugged. "Don't worry about it Asuma. I will figure something out. For now, I wish to train my disciple."

"You might die when they come for you, Naruto. You are strong, very strong I admit, but you are not invincible. Nobody is invincible."

Naruto smirked inwardly. "I'm sure there is at least one person in this city that disagrees with you."

The elder man waved off that comment. "No human is invincible is what I meant. I'm pretty sure that guy you're thinking of has Super Saiyan lineage; technically making him an alien. He's a blonde isn't he? Yeah. My point is made."

Rolling his eyes, the young master nodded. He didn't mention his own hair and how it also resembled the fictional race. "You would have to ask him. Jokes aside..."

"- I wasn't joking but yeah, I'll have to ask Shikamaru about it. I know you insist on doing all of this yourself but you do have friends that will help. He will find a way to help you." Naruto sighed and nodded in resignation.

"Very well."

"Good." Asuma grinned. "Well, I'll leave you to your student. Later."

Naruto nodded and moved another piece on the shogi board. His Silver General had just put the King in check.

* * *

One Month Later

Honoka whistled a song as she walked down Yokohama. She knew that if any member of her family knew where she was, they would most likely freak out completely. Her sensei was not joking when he said there was a lot of gang activity around here, and the problem was, most of the gangs had the backing of the local Chinese Mafia. Apparently, the Mafia had a base here and would occasionally hire Master level fighters to protect their base. Even if Honoka wanted to fight off those bastard gangs, she would risk fighting people that were way stronger than her. This couldn't happen.

That was something to think about for another time.

She had just come from another dinner with Hakubi. It wasn't really too dark yet so she could afford to explore some more. Honoka sighed as she looked at all the stores around her. Like her mother, she had inherited a love for shopping and such. But Honoka knew that money was not to be spent so carelessly.

If only...

"Argh!" A yell came from a random alley way. "S-shit!" Being as nosy as ever, Honoka followed the noise from a distance. She had noticed the look of fear on the residents around and slipped from all of their eyes, not wanting to be seen as somebody who was involved.

She walked into a nearby, parallel alley way and made her way up a building. Jumping atop a trash can, she used that to position herself to make a leap at a nearby ladder that was too far up from the ground to reach initially. Quickly climbing up those cases, she easily made it to the roof and crouched down low to watch just what the hell was going on.

"Well, well...You're that piece of shit that was making trouble for my friend the other day." A snide voice spat. He was a relatively tall looking person, standing at 5'11, standing in front of two unmemorable people, probably just regular flunkies. They were speaking in Chinese but fortunately, she was fluent enough to pick up a few words.

"You're gonna pay for causing us so much trouble!"

"Yeah." His flunkies agreed. The guy looked positively terrified and was cowering in front of the man.

"I-I didn't do anything! It was your friend who was harassing me! It's not my fault he was bothering the restaurant owner who kicked him out!" He defended himself. "I didn't do anything."

"Well...who cares? We can't mess with that old guy so we'll take it out on you!"

Just as one of the flunkies was about to punch the guy on the ground, Honoka jumped down from the side of the building, and spun in a sideways motion as she landed a double kick on the back of the delinquent. "Tianfang (Sky Fang)!" The attacker fell down, out-cold. The ground below showed signs of being cracked under his body. He definitely broke a few bones from that attack.

"W-what the fuck?! Who are you?!" He watched as the girl took a stance. She lowered her feet and stood diagonally with her left arm held tightly in front of her while her right arm was protecting her face. Her hands resembled claws. "...I don't recognize that stance!"

"Don't worry about it." She said. Even though the girl's voice was childish, the fighting aura she had produced made the two hesitant.

_"She's a martial artist..." _The leader of the two flunkies bit his lips. "Who are you?"

"Just a school girl. If you stop picking on this guy, I just might leave you both in one piece."

"You think we'll be intimidated by some stupid little girl?!" Flunky number two scoffed. "I'll take you on!" He ran right at her, ignoring the orders to stop from his leader.

"Idiot!"

The flunky positioned himself for a side kick. Honoka saw it coming from a mile a way; she jumped and spun into the attack while aiming her elbow to his chest. His forward momentum forced him to run right into her sharp strike, unfortunately for him, and as her elbow struck - the delinquent lost complete conscious. "Longxuan (Dragon Spin)!"

"A counter..." The leader grimaced when underling collapsed like a string-less doll. "Shit, that looked painful."

"Oh, it is." Honoka nodded openly. "Want a taste?"

"Hmph! You have no idea who you're fucking with!" He got into his own stance. "I am also a user of Quan Fa! You can't beat me."

The girl looked at him seriously for a moment, before chortling loudly. "Pft. Yeah, sure." Her eyes twinkled at him.

"Don't underestimate me, stupid girl!" He was certainly faster than the other two, Honoka acknowledged. His in-step was sharper and better than his friends.

But compared to the likes of Haku, this teenager was little better than an ant. The young brunette calmly weaved through his slow strikes and swept his legs from below. She watched him float in mid-air for the shortest of moments and timed her jump as he was in mid-air. Honoka spun her body forward when she felt that the ground was about two feet beneath her, gaining velocity in a split-second, and landed a deadly heel kick she had developed after watching Haku fight a bear.

"Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner)!"

"Argh!" The leader flunky grunted loudly before losing hold of his consciousness. Honoka began back in front of the previously cowering person. He looked at her in awe.

"You were the one that underestimated me." She muttered and smirked as she felt the feeling of yet another successful bout. "A Quan Fa rookie could never beat me." Honoka turned to the guy who was watched and grinned.

"Are you OK?"

He nodded, not quite believing what was happening before him. "I-I think I'm dreaming. A little girl just beat down a frequent from the Yokohama Battle Dome!" Honoka twitched at the little comment. She was still growing!

"Well, be like that then!" Honoka turned around and march away before something he said caught her mind. Turning back, she asked. "Yokohama Battle Dome?"

"Yes. Around Japan, there are places where fighters go to fight for money. They are paid for fighting other opponents. A lot of gangs hang around there to recruit members."

"Sounds like a really shady place." The girl observed. Nodding, the bullied guy continued.

"It is the first step into the realm known as the Underworld of Martial Arts, so they say. The deeper you get, the more monsters that appear. It's a den of monsters!"

"Monsters...?"

"Many participants use martial arts! Hell, some of them aren't even from gangs. They just want to test themselves," He admitted. "Man...this dream is very weird. Everyone around here should know about the Dome. It's a really big place."

Honoka widened her eyes at the implications. _"No...I'm learning to protect the people I care for, not to earn money." _

She stalked off to catch the next train. _"But I really want to keep improving myself. What would Master say?" _

Thoughts of the Battle Dome and the Underworld of Martial Arts plagued her for the rest of the month.

* * *

END

Before I go off on my usual after chapter comments, I do read my reviews. So I want to respond to one. There are quite a few I want to respond to actually but for now, just one. Reminder, I cannot pm guest accounts.

To 9TH: I really wanted to PM respond to you but I can't because it says you turned off your PM system or something. Honoka will be strong at the start of canon but I will confirm to EVERYONE right now that she will be under say, Shou Kano AKA "Suparna"(A beast and was my favorite character) in terms of fighting. I'm still re-reading the manga (At DoD right now) so it'll take a couple weeks to catch up. It's taking a while because I have to keep myself from being exasperated at Kenichi's scenes, I admit, they were amusing when I was younger but his demeanor throughout the story IS very annoying. I love the humor in the story but there's a lot of face-palming moments too.

I don't think he's talent-less but compared to everyone else, he mind as well be (Super Siegfried FTMFW). However, he has good determination which is why he's so interesting to Ryozanpaku. He has great masters. I mean, he went from a nobody to beating Shou Kano in ONE (or two?) year. Shou had trained since childhood from a clan of freaking NINJA and he lost to Kenichi somehow. Ryozanpaku knows their shit. I believe Kenichi's only problem (from where I last left off when he was fighting Koukin), Kenichi has a problem maintaining his skill. He is fairly careless, as shown when Tsuji kicked his ass because he assumed that he would win no matter what (he would have if he wasn't so lax). I don't know how much better he's gotten though. I do know that he is on the level of all of Yomi. DON'T SPOIL ME IN THE REVIEWS PLEASE! Lol, I got spoiled about Saiga already. I don't want anymore. Not yet.

This has nothing to do with anything but after Sky, my favorite Yomi is "Steel" (If you read, you know who that is). And yes, you hear my tone right. I am butthurt that Shou lost to Kenichi. How someone can go from losing in one-shot to winning is beyond me. But...I do acknowledge that Kenichi at full strength is a beast.

Anyway...That's why I'm giving Honoka Shaolinquan core training. They emphasize on repetition. When Naruto can't train her, she can do it herself.

ALRIGHT. To my typical post-chapter musings. As you see from the plot, I plan to enter the world of Martial Artist we don't really get to see in the manga for a long time. Remember when Kenichi went with Sakaki to make some money to help Miu manage the dojo? Yeah. It's like that. To specify, it's the part when Kenichi first met Castor.

I've yet to come up with a tasteful way to display Chinese dialogue. So...don't mind that yet.

Have a nice day.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**"Disciple of a Demon"**

Naruto sighed as he gazed at the reports he was accessing. Across from him sat one of the few men in the world who knew him on a personal level. Nara Shikamaru had stood beside the blonde Master ever since their early childhood, and they had even been trained to fight for the same circle of clans. Naruto was two years his senior; having been the best trainee to ever be recognized since his own father, while Shikamaru watched from a distance as the man became a legend in the martial arts realm.

That came with all of his rise and falls. Each of them just as equal as the other.

At the moment, the two friends were discussing a topic that concerned the caretaker of the orphanage.

"It has been a year since Asuma has given me the initial reports. The final three pillars of the Council has finally fallen." Naruto backtracked and tightened his grip on the folders. "To think that the clans could afford such powerful Masters. How many are there?" He had yet to finish going through the list of pictures.

"Thirty-four. That's not even their full force I hear." Shikamaru scratched his head. "I have to admit though, the bounty on your head is very impressive. It make's Asuma-sensei's look like the cheapest candy bars." He pointed to the file on the front detailing Naruto's profile.

"I might consider letting you turn me in." The blonde replied sarcastically, his eyes scrunching at the numbers. "Hm. I could live five full lives with this money. What do you say? Think we can pull it off?" He grinned in a mischievous sort of way. To be honest, it had been a long time since he had seen Naruto so laid back. The energy from his deprived youth had seemed revitalized recently.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and smirked sardonically. "I don't think we can pull the old Trojan Horse anymore, Naruto. We're not that young and lucky. Besides, I'm sure they would prefer to take you dead rather than alive at first sight."

"You would be surprised by the effectiveness of rudimentary strategies, Shika'." Replied the blonde. "Nonetheless, I suppose you are right. This is not a childhood prank."

"Yep. It's very troublesome." The Nara agreed. "I would suggest that you go into hiding for the rest of your life but with you having a disciple, things will eventually complicate. If she were to catch the eye of an informant, the whole world will know that Yúnlóngquán has returned."

Naruto nodded solemnly. "That is a problem."

"Yes and she will definitely not be spared. They spent many years hunting down your old students and anyone with even the smallest knowledge of your skills. I believe only one survived the purge...and she has disappeared from the face of the Earth." Shikamaru almost spat, hating the history of their enemies. "To remember their deeds; it sickens me to the core."

"It does but I admit, it was mostly my fault. The blood of my former students are on my hands." Naruto stated as if it were a fact. Shikamaru only looked at him and scoffed. "I was the one who-"

"Let's change topics before you begin your self-pity act." The younger of the two cut in. "They are the ones that took revenge in such a round-about way. Shame you couldn't finish the job all those years ago...then maybe all of these problems wouldn't exist."

"I do not have a self-pity act." Replied the blonde with a small twitch in the eye. "But yes, let's have topic change."

"Right then. Now, I'm not much of a strategist," Naruto merely gave him a look that said 'bullshit'. "-but I think it would be prudent to at least disappear for a while. Or maybe..."

"Hm?"

The lazy business-man seemed to be deep in thought. "Ok. Here's what I'm thinking."

The two old friends spent most of the evening discussing strategy before they turned in. Shikamaru had only returned briefly, believing that the information he was bringing was too important to just fax this time around.

As far as the Nara was concerned, something big was going to go down and the blonde master would soon be in the midst of it all.

* * *

Ryuuto Asamiya sat facing his many underlings with an apathetic look on his face. The plan his master, Kensei, had suggested him to do was still in the beginning stages. When everything would come together, he could only guess what would happen in the end; the future was a very fickle thing. After all, only the most skilled could take down an organization such as Yomi. Ragnarök was still a rising group but with him at the helm, it would take maybe five or six more years before they were ready to take the international stage. That was honestly not that long.

It was a very slow recruiting day. He had begun Ragnarok in hopes of matching the power of Yomi, a group he was actually a part of, but he knew that he wasn't the group's best. Not by a long shot. Why was he doing this?

Well, why not? Was the better question. What better way to test his capacity?

Ryuuto only had three notable members at the moment though. To his right was tall young man with fair-skin, dark blonde hair spiked up and blue eyes. He wore a white sleeveless shirt, blue jeans, white sneaker, and red jacket with its sleeves ripped off. His name was Shougo Kitsukawa; his code name was Berserker, the Second Fist of Ragnarok.

To Ryuuto's left was a tall and attractive dark-skinned girl with blue-eyes and short messy brown hair. Despite her calm and cold outward appearance, she like the other two, were still technically teenagers. Her real name was Kaname Kugatachi; code-named Freya, the Third Fist of Ragnarok.

Ryuuto himself went by the alias, Odin; the First Fist of Ragnarok. The three of them made the Three of Cards, the most skilled fighters of the gang.

Although, since they were the only three, that title didn't really mean much yet. But Ryuuto did acknowledge that the two beside him were incredibly skilled. Not on the same level as Yomi but they were definitely no regular thugs. The Fists of Ragnarok were martial artists at the core, not delinquents.

Berserker was debatable. But that was not an important topic.

"The underlings seem very agitated." Odin muttered to himself. He usually took a couple of days off from training to reign in the control of the gang. Berserker was usually the one that took control of the overall numbers while Odin trained with Kensei. Freya recruited her own people to a group known as the Valkyries. They were an all girl group that focused on weaponry.

Freya herself used a staff.

"I heard..." The dark-skinned girl replied in a low tone. She was not one for conversation. "That there is a very young girl that has been defeating many of our sub-section fighters. She is nameless and all we know is that she has short, brown hair."

"Really?" Odin sent her a curious look. "Are you interested?"

"I want to know who this girl is. Unfortunately, our...underlings are not very descriptive. I doubt they would recognize her a second time." Her tone conveyed annoyance at the sheer incompetence of the lower members. Her Valkyries would have been able to spot and track her from the moment she was spotted.

Odin thought about the situation. "A martial artist?"

"Likely. The girl took down fifteen of ours at the same time. That was what was reported." Berserker added his two cents. "Fifteen weaklings."

"But it is still something of a feat." Ryuuto acknowledged. The Three of Cards could take down fifteen gang members with their eyes closed and still walk away unscathed, but Ragnarok was in desperate need of mid to high tier fighters. Perhaps the girl would be an interesting recruit.

"Freya."

The staff user nodded. "My Valkyries are tracking her down this very second."

* * *

Yokohama

"Honoka, my favorite Japanese girl. How are you today?"

In the last year, the young brunette had grown exponentially. The formerly short girl now stood at fifty-five inches (4'5), a height that was above the average of girls her age of ten. Her short brown hair had grown slightly longer but not enough to call for any adjustments. She wore a simple school uniform under a long-sleeve black, hooded jacket.

"Uncle Hakubi." She smiled cutely. "Sorry for not visiting recently. Things have been hectic!"

"So I've heard." The old man then gave her a stern look. "I've been hearing of interesting rumors concerning you." He crossed his arms between his chest.

"...Eh?" The girl shot him a bemused look.

The old man walked around an empty table and motioned for her to sit. There was currently no other customers in the restaurant. "I don't mind if you don't visit, silly girl. I understand that you have your own life. However!" He reached into his robes and pulled out a folder; and gave it to her.

"There have been rumors of a very skilled martial artist beating up gangs at every corner. Brown hair, fifty-five inches and is said to be using a...form of Chinese Quan Fa." Hakubi gave her a look.

Honoka put on her best innocent face. The old man was not pleased.

"Silly girl, I understand that you wish to protect younger children from older delinquents but you must exercise caution. You are very fortunate that these delinquents are just that, delinquents. They do not know what style you truly possess."

The brunette sighed. "I don't get why it's so important to hide my style. It's annoying to have to restrain myself to just the basics."

Hakubi scratched his bald head. "It is not my story to tell. Perhaps it is best to ask your sensei."

Before Honoka could answer, the front door of the restaurant exploded open. Honoka jumped up and looked towards the entrance to see the source. Hakubi, ever the calm old man, merely sat with a blank look on her face.

"Ma Ryou!"

The bald man quipped a brow and analyzed the intruder. It was a girl who looked a few years older than Honoka. She had bright blue eyes and upper-back-length navy hair that was done up in an intricate braiding. Her clothes consisted of a simple chinese dress that barely covered her thighs.

Honoka didn't know what to think.

"...Renka?" Hakubi tilted his head for a moment. "Renka! That is you! Why are you here and not in China?" His dialect suddenly changed to his native one of Chinese.

Honoka, being a student of said dialect and having been forced to speak it to her sensei every day, was now somewhat proficient in the language.

"I have come to return my father home to China! Mama is irate!" The girl yelled with a high amount of energy. She placed her hands on her hips. "Now, where is he?!"

"Why don't you have some tea first? We can talk about this later." Hakubi completely ignored the fighting aura Renka was emitting. The youngest of the three watched the girl warily, cautious of her growing annoyance.

"I don't have time for that! Papa has to come home now!" When Hakubi showed no signs of saying a thing, the blue haired girl launched herself and went for a flying kick at the old, bald man. Hakubi would have done something had he not sensed Honoka kick a chair at Renka's flight path.

Breaking the chair with her kick, Renka landed and back flipped carefully to the wall and got into a stance. "Who are you?!"

"Hey! Careful, this is my favorite restaurant! You know how hard it is to find good fujian around here!?"

The owner of the restaurant couldn't help but be amused at the girl's motivations.

Renka was not one for humor. She approached the younger girl very cautiously in her own stance and sized her up. Honoka was also prepared for a bout. "...It can't be." Renka muttered. "That looks like Shaolinquan but there is a slight deviation of positioning. Who are you?"

"In this country, is polite to introduce yourself before asking for someone else's name!" The young brunette chided. The older teen narrowed her eyes.

"Ma Renka. Phoenix Alliance's Ma Style Kempo!"

"Shirahama Honoka. Yúnlóngquán." Renka could have sworn that style sounded familiar.

The two glared each other down fiercely. Hakubi merely watched with a cup of tea in his left hand.

The two females stood still for ten seconds before one grew impatient. Renka exploded forward and began a chain of unrelenting rapid one-two punch combos. Honoka weaved in between them with more than a little effort while keeping both her hands positioned in a basic stance. But as she did this, the brunette was forced to retreat back during her observation stage. Before long, Honoka was forced back into a wall and Renka took advantage by launching a very fast drill-like kick. "Ma Style: Jian Ti (Arrow Kick)!"

Having telegraphed the movement before it began, Honoka hopped just as the kick was half completed and used her left arm to push on Renka's thigh, using it as a springer; the girl saw in that split second that the kick did fair damage to the wall, giving it several cracks. While in mid-air, Honoka span into her opponent's momentum and aimed an elbow at the girl's well endowed chest. "Longxuan (Dragon Spin)!" Just as the strike was about to land, Renka brought forward her right hand and tilted away the attack; before taking a small reprieve from the offensive by jumping back.

"Not bad, little girl." Renka smirked and got back into form. "But only a dumb muscle would fall for such a simple counter!"

"Pft! You talk big but you haven't landed a single clean hit!" Honoka snorted. "No more playing around." She shifted her feet and lowered her stance. Renka narrowed her eyes and prepared herself.

Renka's face was that of surprise as she noted that the young girl's in-step far surpassed any other disciple she had ever met. Being instantly put on the defensive, Renka taking many back-steps and began blocking punches that seemed to come from all directions. In an instant, the attack disappeared from sight leaving the chinese girl confused for a whole second; enough for Honoka to sweep her legs from below. _"No!" _Renka wanted to curse but her focus was on the in-coming heel coming at her from the air.

"Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner)!" However, just like before, Renka moved instinctively to bring her right arm to defend. Moving it in a spinning motion, the heel that came down was smoothly diverged away from it's original target area, and landed on the restaurant floor.

Hakubi watched as Honoka's heel land on the floor rather than Renka's chest. Impressed, he muttered out loud. "Oh, nice Kakei."

Honoka grunted in annoyance. It was rare for her finishing attack to miss so widely. "Taichiquan's Kakei. Never met anyone who could do that before."

Renka smiled and summer-saulted backwards to gain a respectable distance. "You're pretty good yourself, little girl." The younger girl bristled at the insult but ultimately kept her cool. No need to lose her head here. "You are a lot better than most of the disciples back home."

"Hm." Was her only reply. "Let's finish this." Honoka took a deep breath and rotated her arms in a circular motion; her eyes seemed to have calmed down from the earlier skirmish. The stance she held before was the same but Renka could feel the girl's ominous aura.

"Oh..." Hakubi mused at the Japanese girl's sudden attitude change. "I always thought she would have been a Dou fighter. Can't judge a book by it's cover."

Renka also saw it. "Seikuken (Control of the Air Sphere)...heh? This will be tougher than I thought." The blue haired girl charged ahead like the first time around and launched a thunderous combination joint attacks that was being pushed back by Honoka's carefully calculated counters. The exchange lasted for fifteen seconds, but to the two girls, it lasted much longer. Renka's knee rose to strike but that was easily pushed back, followed by a counter punch that landed right on Renka's stomach' pushing her back. Seeing the opening, Honoka stepped into the girl's guard and placed her right foot behind Renka's left; and swept her down while using her own forward momentum to swing down.

The brunette looked to land a direct punch to her face but using both legs, Renka wrapped them around Honoka's body and used them to throw her forward. Honoka roughly landed on her shoulder and swiftly dodged a flying kick from Renka; who destroyed a table in place.

The bald man twitched at the mayhem the fight was causing. "This is getting out of hand." He stood up and flared his ki, freezing both girls in place. They stared at him with wide eyes and stiff muscles.

"Enough. Why don't we have tea like civil people." He smiled. But that smile was not like any other. Behind him was an abundant amount of pressure that swayed the opinion of both girls.

"S-sure." They both stuttered.

Breaking off eye-contact, Honoka and Renka got out of their fighting stances and went to go join Hakubi; albeit on completely opposite sides of the table.

The two girls glared at each other from a distance while mending their respective wounds. Despite dodging more than a few of their opponent's attacks, the ones that did had been painful. Renka personally had a hard time believing someone so young could punch so hard. She had never fought anyone so skilled at her age, not even back in China.

"Now then..." Hakubi had finished warming up the kettle. "Let's-"

"Who is your Master?! I've never seen that style before!" Renka cut him off loudly and rudely pointed at her opponent. Sighing, the old man shook his head at being ignored so easily. The girl was nothing like his nephew.

"My style is called-"

"I'm not stupid." Renka cut in again. "You called it Yúnlóngquán." She quoted with her fingers. "It sounds very familiar..."

"It should." Honoka dipped her head. "My Master said that his style was heavily influenced by several others. Most of them from China; specifically Shaolinquan and Bajiquan."

"I noticed." The blue haired girl grunted, rubbing the spot where one of the girl's elbows struck. It had happened sometime during the Seikuken exchange. "But there was more."

"Yes. Yúnlóngquán has more intermixed styles. My Master travelled the world after all."

"And who is this Master?"

Straightening her back, she pridefully announced. "Uzumaki Naruto."

Hakubi sighed and palmed his face.

Renka widened her eyes and tensed. "Come again?" She had heard the first time but she wanted to clarify. The adrenaline from her fight was diminishing and her mind was thinking more clearly.

"I said," She refrained. "My Master is Uzumaki Naruto." Renka only stared at her for a long time. Hakubi felt her aura spiking and moved to subdue her in a flash of speed. Neither girl saw him move from where he sat.

That was the difference between a disciple and a Master.

"Now, now...no need to jump to conclusions."

"Why not?! Her Master is the 'Massacre Man'!" The teen girl spat hatefully. "He is a sworn enemy of the Phoenix Alliance! A Demon! A Devil! A Fiend!"

"SHUT UP!" Honoka banged both her hands on the table, breaking it in half. The tea Hakubi had prepared landed on the floor and had spilt all over the floor. "I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE BUT DON'T TALK ABOUT MY MASTER LIKE THAT YOU STUPID SKANK!"

"Such troublesome girls." Hakubi sighed. "Honestly, you children must learn to Quiet Down!" The old man's smile turned absolutely feral; his ki spiking to a level that forced the two girls to settle down in sheer fear. Hakubi took the two sides of the broken table and slammed it into each other, forcing it to temporarily work as a table.

He seemed to be on the edge of his patience as well.

"Now, I believe we have something of a misunderstanding." He looked at Renka. "Uzumaki Naruto has long, long denounced the way of Satsujinken (Fist of Killing). He is no longer a 'sworn' enemy of the Phoenix Alliance. Your father announced this many years ago."

"Not many share that sentiment. Many of the Alliance are still wary of him!"

"What are you talking about!? My Master is a great man!" Honoka retorted. "Stop speaking such...such lies!"

The chinese girl let out a hollow laugh. "Silly, stupid girl! Your Master has shed more blood than you could ever dream of. His kill count has four zeros in it! Do you understand what I am telling you or must I switch over to your native language!?"

"LIAR!" Honoka spat back at her, eye glaring darkly. "YOU LIE, MY MASTER WOULD NEVER DO SUCH A THING!"

"Ignorance! I hate it. You're studying under a man that you know NOTHING about. Uzumaki Naruto was the man that betrayed his own clan and butchered them in a single night. He killed five hundred martial artists and hunted down any surviving members during that slaughter. He is a monster in the skin of a human! Even before that, he was a renowned assassin who killed in cold blood. He's killed many warriors of the Phoenix Alliance under the orders of the very people he eventually betrayed! His head is worth more than an entire country!"

"Liar! He is just a regular Caretaker at a small orphanage! He would never do all things that you say!" Honoka looked at Hakubi with a pleading gaze. "Please, tell her!"

Hakubi frowned and shook his head, mentally apologizing to his friend. "I'm sorry you had to find out this way."

The brunette's lips began to tremble and her eyes tightened. "U-uncle?"

"Your Master's past is...bloody to say the least. He and I were enemies a long time ago. Well, kind of. But then...something happened that triggered the massacre of his clan. They called themselves 'Konoha' and they were strict followers of Satsujinken. However, that is not my story to tell." He pinned a look at Renka. "Neither is it yours. Not that you know the entire story."

"Hmph!" She turned her head in the opposite direction. "What's there to know? A killer will always be just that, a killer!"

Honoka was trembling in both confusion and anger; most of the latter was aimed at the blue haired girl. "I don't believe you."

"Despite his past, Naruto is not a monster. He's actually a pleasant man. A far cry from his younger days." Hakubi repressed a shiver as he remembered a pair of hungry red eyes. "You are still a hot-head, Renka."

"Can you blame me for reacting the way I did? All I wanted to know was the location of my father and along the way, I meet the disciple of one of the most infamous assassins in History? He is the modern day...as the Japanese say, 'Hitokiri'."

"Tch. I can't hear any more of this! I'll come back later." Honoka stormed out the door, knocking down an employee on the way.

Hakubi scratched his head and wondered how he was going to tell Naruto about this. Maybe he should drop a call in the next half hour.

The man really didn't need this on top of the troubles coming his way.

"What a horrible day." He looked at the blue haired girl. "Well, then, why are you here again?" Hakubi tilted his head.

For some reason, Renka had a horrible feeling that it would be a long time before she got the location of her father from the bald man.

* * *

With Naruto

"Sensei!" Haku ran up the stairs urgently and nearly slammed the main office door open. "Sensei!"

"Hm?" The blond caretaker looked up from his desk. "Is something the matter?"

Haku stepped up to the desk and gave him a black letter. Naruto narrowed his eyes tightly and felt something cold enter him when he saw the seal that was placed on it.

It was a leaf with an internal spiral design.

* * *

With Honoka

The young school-girl sat solemnly on a lone bench in the middle of Koryou. Her hood was up to protect herself from the coming rain that had begun sometime during her fight with Renka. She was currently going over what she had just been told not too long ago in her young mind.

Her Master...a Demon? Impossible. He was such a kind man. A good man. He took care of children for a living! The girl must have been lying.

Was she?

Even her Uncle Hakubi confirmed the facts. He didn't seem happy about it but a confirmation was just that. Honoka trusted the man as did her sensei. But according to Hakubi, the two friends used to be sworn enemies. How in the world did that happen? Honoka didn't understand it at all. It was so confusing.

Suddenly, she heard several people surrounding her. Their footsteps were loud and unrefined. With her hood clouding most of her face, Honoka looked up and saw a group of girls standing around with weapons. What an odd sight.

"According to our scouts, the details of a child who has been fighting our gang matches your description perfectly. Well, by height and hair color anyway. Are you the one?"

Honoka grunted in an unladylike way. "And what of it?" It's not like she kept track of who she beat up. All she cared about was the safety of the younger children of Koryou.

"Why don't you take off that hood? We can't see your face. Freya-sama wishes to recruit you." The lead girl said. "You should feel honored."

"Honored?"

Honoka remembered the words of Hakubi. _"The world cannot know that Yulongquan lives. It is essential." _Was she so careless? Had she been lucky all of this time? If the information that skank had given her was right, then she could have been in serious danger had someone found her out.

"Yes. Ragnarok is a rising group of martial artists who wish to dominate this city. Your skills have caught the eyes of my superiors."

The young brunette snorted. "Martial artists? I don't see any of the sort around here." Some of the Valkyries bristled at the young girl's callous comment. "If I remember correctly, I fought a group of bullies who claimed to be under the banner of a group called 'Ragnarok'. To me, you're all the same. Just another filthy gang that needs to be taught a lesson."

"Insolent girl." The lead Valkyrie snarled. "We'll be taking you to Freya-sama with or without your consent. You don't stand a chance against us! We have weapons."

Honoka shook her head in disgust. "A weapon is little more than a spoon in the hands of amateurs." She eyed one of the girls who held a sansetsukon. "Horrible form."

"Valkyries! Take her down." Honoka stood still and watch calmly as five girls with five different weapons rushed from all sides. The brunette dodged a strike from the girl holding a sansetsukon, and kicked the weapon out from her hand; all the while simultaneously avoiding the attacks from the other Valkyries.

"What the-" One of the teens went down as Honoka smacked the back of her head with the now straightened weapon.

"The Sansetsukon (Three Section Staff) is my weapon of choice as well. I couldn't bare watching you flail it around anymore. It's disgusting." Honoka groused and eyed the rest of the teenagers. "

"What are you all doing?! There's only one girl!"

Honoka disconnected the staff and began to spin rapidly across the ground; her form matched that of a dancer but at a quicker pace. At the same time however, the three sectioned staff in her hands also began to whirl around violently; cohesive with her movements. The Valkyries watched in absolute horror as the spinning turned into a storm of whip-like lashing strikes.

"Haryuu Arashi (Spring Dragon Tempest)!" None of the girls were able to stop the whipping lash-like attacks that was being unleashing on them. The head girl watched as a dozen of the Valkyries fell in a matter of moments.

A mere seven seconds later, the entire group was wiped out. Honoka with her hood still up, resembled something of an ominous figure from the eyes of the head Valkyrie. The teen girl felt the seed of fear enter her heart. "W-who are you?" She fell to her knees, quivering in her spot.

"..." Honoka looked at her, knowing that the girl couldn't see her real face.

"My name?" She uttered. "Take this back to your 'Freya-sama'. You can call me, 'Xinku'."

The lead girl seemed bemused. "Xinku?"

Honoka smiled. "A play on words. It takes the Japanese word, 'Kuro' and the Chinese word, 'Xinxing'. Look it up." And with that, the young brunette turned home with the intent of sleeping over her troubled thoughts.

Perhaps there was another way of going about her little side activities.

* * *

END

Alright guys. One more pre-canon chapter. Lucky 7, right? I'm a bit unsure about this chapter since I kind of struggled with the Renka fight. It's easy to see in my head, but on paper, it's a cluster-you-know-what. Speaking of Renka, I hope you guys don't think I'm bashing her. I thought it was a reasonable reaction. Well...for me because I'm the one creating Naruto's past. I feel that it is perfectly right for her to be so...violent.

The guest guys. I'm so sorry. I completely forgot I had to approve your reviews for it to show on the page. I had no idea, I'll be sure to look into that.

For the people who thought I would be jumping right into the Battle Dome, that was actually meant for later. I wanted to show it a bit early so you all wouldn't have thought I was just pulling it out of my you-know-what later on in the story.

Yes, Honoka's weapon of choice is a Sansetsukon AKA a Three-Section-Staff. It's freaking awesome. Go to youtube, search up "Hero of the East" and "Three section staff". It's a movie of a Chinese Master using a sansetsukon and he's fighting a Bruce Lee wannabe who's using a tonfa and nunchucks. It's a damn good fight.

I revealed a bit of Naruto's past. And no, he's not OP. Don't be silly. He's not owning people at 0.001% of his power. Lol, Hayato Furinji is still the king in this verse. Naruto is on the level of a Super-Master. Who he's above and below, I will not divulge. Blame Konoha for having a lot of fodder.

And yes, that is my idea of hyping an ex-Satsujinken Master. Naruto is basically the Itachi of this world, you could say. Except blond...and shorter hair...and different back story. And no younger brother. And no Sharingan. I promise, when you see these hints of red eyes, IT IS NOT THE SHARINGAN. I PROMISE! C:

If there's a similarity that can be drawn, it would be to the Hitokiri Battosai.

Short Ragnarok scene. It is to set up familiarity.

TECHNIQUES:

Tianfang (Sky Fang): Easy. It's basically a drop kick that involved a drilling body motion.

Longxuan (Dragon Spin): It's a counter technique that involves spinning into the opponent's forward momentum and landing an elbow. It's painful if connected as are most counters.

Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner): Imagine Naruto's "Uzumaki Barrage" but without the clones. Honoka sweeps the opponent's legs from below and jumps very quickly to land a spinning heel drop on the chest. It's power depends on how long Honoka gets to spend in mid-air spinning.

Seikuken (Control of the Air Sphere): All Kenichi readers should know this. It's basically the domain where Honoka can reach and deflect. With her style, she counters better in that range. She is after all, a counter fighter.

**Xinku means "Black Nova". I made up the word. It is a play on words, like I said. Funny enough, it sounds a lot like 'Shinku" which means Crimson. A lot of people like this word. I was stuck between Xinku and something like "Dark Dragon Fairy" or "Black Fairy" but a lot of people don't really see anything tough about fairies. So I went with Nova. Believe me, in a lot of Chinese movies, someone with a name like "Dark Fairy" is taken very seriously. I'm trying to remember this one very good movie...I don't remember. I know it was called Hero of the something-to-do-with-a-bird. It's the same genre as the Chinese Paladin. Whatever. There was a villain that had fairy in her nickname and she was a BEAST. [Edit: I was told that the story was the Condor Trilogy which I am familiar with. Also, who I was referring to was Li Mo Chou who was called the something Fairy (there's like a billion different translations. Only the ones who read the book and understands the language will know it. The one I saw was Serpent Fairy)]**

A terrible sickness has gotten a hold of me recently. I'm getting better but this chapter's development was stunted because of it. I planned it to come out by early Friday. Yeah, didn't happen.

Have a nice day.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**"I Will Return, My Disciple"**

Orphanage

"Are you ready?"

Shikamaru looked at the turned back of one of his oldest friends. He had been silently gazing at the mountain range from his office for the longest time now. The blonde was not tense despite the incoming storm that they had foreseen arriving. Despite being intellectually superior, the Nara had always envied the man's calm demeanor. While he himself broadcasted an apathetic and laid back attitude outwardly, he would be the exact opposite inwardly once a battle of this magnitude approached.

Naruto never wavered. Was he fearless? Absolutely not. Only fools held such notions. No, he was a man who knew and acknowledged the terror that would come in both present and future, but would willingly take it on.

It was true courage. Shikamaru remembered the night when Naruto cut ties with his traitorous clan very vividly. He was there after all. The Nara had close dealings with Konoha; they had even been apart of the group many years ago but soon became independent a century ago; as did many others. Shikamaru had been on a business trip to discuss a bodyguard contract when the smell of blood began to reek the hallways of Konoha's hidden base.

Naive children read manga and often praised of how 'awesome' and 'cool' certain villainous characters were because of their actions. Even his own read books and always criticized how bad guys should be doing this and that to increase their bad guy stature. "It would be cool to see the villain be involved in a blood-bath." His youngest son, Shien, would always say.

They were too young to truly 'get it'.

The boy wouldn't think blood-baths were so cool if had he seen what Shikamaru had seen. A true blood-bath happened on the night of October 10th when Uzumaki Naruto massacred the alliance of clans known as Konoha. He remembered all the guts, blood, and the dismembered body parts of teenagers as young as fifteen all shredded apart as if they had walked into a machine meant to slaughter cows. His friend spared nobody.

Back in the day, Uzumaki Naruto knew no mercy. He was the epitome of Satsujinken. Some even called him the Hero of the Killing Fist. Some called him the 'Massacre Man'. He didn't really need a nickname but there had come a point when Katsujinken fighters feared to even speak his name. They just called him "Aukuang". Shikamaru was definitely not Chinese but he did have an idea of what that name meant.

When Naruto heard of his nickname, he snorted and waved it off with an offhand comment of, 'Hope I never meet the Monkey King.'

Seriously, the guy just didn't give a damn about his reputation.

"I suppose. This was a good idea. How come we never thought of this before?" Naruto asked, scratching the back of his head as if pondering the idea.

"Konoha is arrogant. They wouldn't believe you would die by any other hands but theirs." Shikamaru shrugged. "Even if it was Yami, they wouldn't believe it. That's just the type of people they are."

"Then why are we doing this Feign-Death strategy if they are so insightful?"

"Obviously..." Shikamaru drawled, making the blonde Master twitch. "...they won't believe you will have actually died. But some will believe it and they will abandon the idea of tracking you down. Konoha will lose more resources this way. I think it's a good idea."

"Smart." Naruto acknowledged. "I admit, it's a pretty good idea. Almost as good as mine."

"And that was?"

The blonde seemed almost sheepish despite his straight face. "To defeat them all."

"..."

Shikamaru had no words. "And to think you have your disciple fooled into thinking you're some all-knowing, wise teacher who thinks before he acts."

"Tactical thinking in battle is different from strategic thinking in life..." Was the blonde's excuse.

"Whatever. Troublesome blonde."

They spent a moment in silence.

"...Have you told her?"

Naruto shook his head. "Apparently, the daughter of Ma Kensei showed up and told Honoka of my past." Shikamaru grimaced. "It left quite an impression, I suppose."

"That sucks. Are you planning on...clearing it up for her?"

"No. If she asks me, then I will tell her. Otherwise, it is currently irrelevant to her growth as a martial artist."

The Nara nodded in agreement; that idea appealed to him. The past of the Master should not so easily be given to the disciple.

"Honoka will become great one day." Naruto declared as if it were fact. "She will learn one day of how dark the world can truly be. It could be today...or the next...or years from now. What happens after is up to her."

"I still can't believe you actually took her on as a disciple. You were so adamant about not having another one. The dangers were too great to even think of passing on your knowledge. I honestly thought you would have preferred to have the techniques die with you at old age."

"You know me better than that, Shika'." He said without missing a beat. "Believe me, I didn't think I would have taken on another student either. So soon I mean. I had other plans, but I never intended to die with this style I worked so hard to develop. Had I done that, Konoha would have succeeded in their quest to destroy my legacy. No...there was something about Honoka that demanded my attention."

"How did you know?"

Naruto just smiled. "A great man just knows." A lone bird flew by his window. His crisp blue eyes followed it's movements to the end of the mountain range.

* * *

With Honoka

All that could be heard in the local Koryou playground were grunts and moans of utter pain. One of the various local gangs called the Red Wings had been staking claims at a nearby neighborhood and had caused a huge ruckus in the process. Many adults and policemen ignored it, but not her.

Shirahama Honoka sat on top the roof on a nearby building looking down to see her handiwork. It was just another day for the young girl. It scared even her; the ease of which it was to destroy the human body. Her Master had asked her to study pressure points, something she did but never truly became efficient at locating in real combat. What she did excel at was physical punishment and how...good it felt to punish the morons that were acting so stupid because they were older. They thought they could get away with picking on little kids and escape without punishment. As much as it scared her, Honoka was developing a mean streak against bullies. It was a characteristic that had been developing only recently, since last year.

She didn't know how to feel about it.

Most gang members were weak in her eyes, they weren't martial artists who spent blood, sweat and tears attaining any true strength. They were just bullies who used fear in numbers to attain what they wanted. Her teacher despised gangs but acknowledged their tactics as something that was often done in the real world.

Not all gangs were filled with weaklings though. Some had real fighters who fancied themselves as "Generals" of their group. It was sickening to see. Instead of spending time bettering themselves, they preferred to use their abilities to wreak havoc in cities and shops. What a waste.

For the last few days, there was a certain group that was annoying her. They called themselves the "Valkyries" and they claimed to be a sub-section of another group known as "Ragnarok". Apparently, there were "skilled" martial artists who were in command of that group and dictated their actions. Honoka found that hard to believe since the level she had seen from them so far was nothing too special. The group of weapon using girls were little better than fodder. They had no skill and were without any finesse. Honoka judged them unworthy of her time.

But that didn't mean they felt the same about her. She had gone by the title, "Xinku" or Black Nova. Apparently, the leaders of this gang wanted to recruit her to their group, a huge waste of time in her opinion. It would be a cold day in Hell when Honoka decided to join up with a gang of delinquents. She despised all gangs.

Gangs were unworthy of having her fists as allies.

Nonetheless, it was annoying having to avoid members searching for her. Luckily, and she had no idea how; the group had no idea what she truly looked like. It was a blessing that the delinquents that had were so incompetent; otherwise, her attempts would be more difficult. For the moment, she was an unknown. An enigma to Ragnarok.

It was easy to hide her face with a mask when she fought, something she now did. In fact, she was wearing it now. It was a simple black mask with two diagonal white lines going between the eye-holes. She had won it off a festival years ago and finally found a use for it. The design was simple...but intimidating nonetheless.

Honoka's alias was becoming something of a Legend around Koryou. It was funny because nobody had made the connection between her past bouts and the ones now. Maybe some knew, but wished to keep quiet. Now that was loyalty. They fancied her as a superhero, something that flattered Honoka immensely. Though, it was cool when children would acknowledge her as Xinku and not ignore her as Honoka. That was fine with her.

People loved Heroes.

And most importantly, Heroes never did any wrong. Right?

Honoka could still feel the blood on her hands. Blood was hard to wash off and it was becoming very difficult to hide the scent from her clothes. It was even harder to wash off.

She was beginning to detest blood. Maybe it was prudent to learn how to defeat enemies more efficiently.

"Your handiwork?"

Honoka tensed. She didn't even sense anyone approaching from behind her.

"Relax..." It was the tone of a seasoned man. His teeth were sharp, like fangs, and his lips were curled in a smirk. "I was just walking by and I smelled blood."

"Hm." Honoka nodded, unsure of what to say to this unknown stranger.

"My son is also a martial artist but he is something of a pacifist at heart. I've tried to get him into mercenary work but he wants to spend the rest of his life working at some orphanage." He scoffed. "What a waste of talent. I love the kid but he's very soft in the heart. I adopted him because I thought he had a lot of potential. I taught him my style..."

So he was a Master.

Wait, Honoka remembered something in the past. This story sounded very familiar.

"It would have been nice if he had been like you, girl. You did a fine job down there...I especially loved the way you twisted that kid's legs into the monkey bars. Painful and embarrassing, an ideal judgement." The guy chuckled evilly. He then began to walk back, Honoka never turned to see him.

"It's always good to see the next generation filled with people like me. People who fight..." And with that, Honoka felt his fluid like presence leave the area.

For some reason, Honoka had a sneaking suspicion that she had just met Haku's adopted father.

What a weirdo.

* * *

Next Day

Her Master was very quiet today.

"Alright, that's enough Honoka. Come to my office once you have completed your stretches." She nodded and went through her cool downs. Behind her was Shikamaru who was playing a game of Shogi with Asuma.

Honoka had tried to play Shogi with Shikamaru once.

She probably had a better shot at winning the lottery.

However, she did push him to the limits at Othello. He was forced to do some weird thinking stance for ten minutes before coming up with a winning strategy that shocked her. Some people were just in higher leagues when it came to the power of the mind. No matter how good you thought you were (and Honoka was considered nearly invincible at Othello, not even her Master could beat her) there would always be someone better.

"You have improved." He said without sparing her a look. "How do you feel about the Sky Dragon Steps?"

"It's tough." Honoka replied curtly. "It's...difficult to perfect. I can do it maybe...three or four times in a real fight."

"It's not really a move you should think about doing..." The older man drawled. "It should just happen...like a movement you've been doing your entire life. Don't worry about it though, you're just starting out. You will improve."

"Thanks!" Was her beaming reply. "You know a lot about Master's techniques."

"I've known him for a long time." That statement seemed to answer everything for the moment.

Honoka was about to leave when Shikamaru called her once more. "Honoka."

"Hm?" She turned around.

"There will come a time when you will meet great adversity. Will you face it?"

The brunette's face scrunched up in confusion before breaking out a smile. "Sure." She shrugged. "We all have to, right?"

Shikamaru just looked at her before letting out a deep chuckle that surprised even his Sensei, who had been tearing his hair out trying to think of a new strategy. The Nara covered his forehead with his left hand and used his right to shoo the girl away. "She really is just like him."

"Huh?" Asuma inquired. "What?"

"Nothing, sensei. Nothing at all."

* * *

Office - Orphanage

When Honoka entered the door, her Master had already prepared the small table and tea kettle. He was sitting down patiently. "Sit." He commanded. She did so.

"You wanted to talk to me, Master?"

Naruto just poured another cup of tea before saying anything. Honoka was used to this and was patient.

"I will not beat around the bush." He said once they finished a few more drinks. "Have you heard of the Council of the Sun? Chances are no, but I want you to answer."

"Er...no, Master. I don't know what the Council of the Sun is."

"Hm. They are a Council of martial artists that are considered to be Masters. For the past fifty years, they have been ruling a coast of South Korea and are users of Satsujinken. You know what I mean when I say Satsujinken correct?" Honoka nodded. That was something that was always on her mind too. "They are a fairly influential group. Not the best, not the worst. They were established sometime in the Fifties. However, this is not what is important."

"You see Honoka, for the past decade or so, give or take a few years, I have lent my name over to them. You know what this means right?" The brunette wasn't sure what to say.

Naruto sighed. "Hakubi called me, Honoka. I know that you know. I'm surprised you haven't asked yet."

"...It's true, then?"

Her Master nodded without hesitation. "Yes."

It was a little heart-breaking for the girl to come to that realization. But she was not some silly, judgmental idiot like her brother or father. She was better than that and she always tried to look at things from different directions.

But a massacre of five hundred people was something she couldn't even comprehend.

"...I want to ask why but I don't think I'm ready to hear the answer." Naruto regarded her for a moment before nodding. He was fine with that. "You are my Master. I don't believe there is any reason to doubt you."

For a moment, disappointment crept in him. While it was flattering, Naruto didn't want the girl to just blindly idolize him. I guess that might change in time.

"Very well. Now, back to what I was saying before. When I lent my name to the Council of the Sun, they had intended to use it to gain fame of their own. They were fools for doing this and completely underestimated the enemies I had made in the past."

"Why did you do that in the first place?"

"Stability, Honoka. The Council are not the most powerful but they did a fine job at covering my tracks. For many years, my enemies couldn't track me or rather, they wouldn't dare track me. They were still weak then."

"Were?"

Naruto nodded. "Konoha. My worst enemy. They have been patient in their quest for power and revenge. I single-handedly destroyed a majority of their forces - it must have taken them several years to regain their former stature. It seems they have recovered and are now willing to track me down to kill me."

"So what you're basically telling me is..."

"They are coming." He finished for her. "From today on, I must temporarily discontinue your training."

"M-master!" Honoka sputtered. "You're leaving?!"

He took another sip of tea.

"Yes. The orphanage will be in danger if I stay here any longer. However...Shikamaru believes that just me leaving is not enough. No, we're going to take it a step above. We are going to fake my death."

"..." She didn't know what to say. "What...?"

"They won't believe I will have died but many will. Konoha will lose more sources and they will begin to alienate themselves in their quest to hunt me down. As they weaken themselves, I will...find a way to shut down their operation. This will take many years."

The girl was shaking in her seat as he explained his plan. Naruto didn't blame her. It was probably a huge shock to hear from him, a regular school teacher...who just happened to be a World Class Assassin.

"I made a great mistake in allowing the leaders of Konoha to escape my wrath all those years ago. I will find them, capture them and have them thrown into a prison for the rest of their lives. Well, I'll find a way to do that somehow. It will be tough."

"...You are going to do this yourself?" Her Master was powerful enough to take down an entire organization single-handedly?

Oh wait, he had already done so before. But this time, wouldn't the circumstances be different?

"Maybe. I am not completely friendless. The journey I will be undertaking will definitely be interesting to say the least."

"...What do you want me to do?" She asked.

"Nothing. This has nothing to do with you." He said in a very serious tone. "I forbid you from seeking me out. It is too dangerous. That's why I told you to be careful when telling others of the martial arts you practice. I have many enemies which by now, you'll probably see as an understatement."

"I get that now." Honoka muttered. "That Renka skank..."

"Ah, Ma Kensei's daughter. Yes, Hakubi told me about that. Look, do not blame her for reacting the way she did. It is completely justifiable. I was a great enemy of the Phoenix Alliance a long, long time ago and I did kill many good men under their flag. I respect the Phoenix Alliance; they were one of the few organizations I could never conquer in my youth. Also, their leader is a righteous...if not a bit eccentric, man."

"...Ok. I understand, Master. It's just so difficult to hear others speak so ill of you. I hate it. You're a good man!" She vented her underlying frustration of the meeting, "I dislike her. She is very disrespectful."

Naruto just looked at his student for a moment before smirking. So his disciple's first ever rival is the daughter of the great Ma Kensei? Not a bad thought to keep.

He ignored her bemused look.

"So you want me to just stay here?"

"Train!" Naruto reminded her. "You will become a great martial artist one day. While I am gone, I expect you to perfect your basics to the point where you can do them in your sleep. I will be testing for that by the way." She grimaced mentally. "I also expect you to complete the Sky Dragon Steps."

"I understan-"

They were cut off as an arrow suddenly pierced through Naruto's window and struck right on the wall. On it was a letter that held the Konoha leaf symbol. Honoka had jumped and prepared herself for an attack before being shushed by her Master.

He stood up and went to take the letter.

As he read it, anger coursed through him. "Konoha..." He growled lightly. The door suddenly busted open.

"Sensei!" Haku exclaimed. "K-Konohamaru-kun is missing!"

Honoka felt something she had never felt before. Anger so great that it manifested in an aura of red. Her Master's eyes were literally glowing with ki.

"Haku." He gritted out. "I just received a ransom note. You are to look after Honoka, nobody is to follow me!"

"But Master-"

"No! You are good, I admit, but you are not ready for this yet. ANBU Black Op agents have been trained harder than most of Konoha's regular forces. Some of them are even low level Masters...from what I remember, at least." He pinned another look at Haku. "Shikamaru's flight will be leaving in one hour. Tell Asuma that he will guard this place while I am gone. No one is to leave!"

Haku placed his hand on Honoka's trembling shoulders and pulled her away from the office.

Naruto walked over to the corner of the room and pushed a brick into a wall, revealing a mysterious door. Once he opened it, his previous blue eyes gained a gleam of red.

"Hm."

He grabbed the cloak first.

* * *

With Honoka

The brunette was pacing back in forth with Haku watching her every movement. The confusion, anger and frustration that had been built up for months was finally letting loose and even Haku was wary of bothering her. Honoka was pissed. Not at her Master, not at the situation, but at herself. Had she been stronger, trained harder, then she would have been marching to battle with her Master this very instant.

Where the hell was he going anyway?

Every fiber of her being was emitting an aura of battle. Her heart was beating faster than she had ever felt before. Her conscience demanded her to sneak away and seek out her Master's path. She didn't want to do this.

She needed to do this.

But first, Honoka had to get past Haku; a boy she considered to be superior to her in every form as a martial artist except strategy. How in the world was she going to outclass him?

"Haku." Honoka said abruptly, already failing to set him at ease with her lack of honorific. He eyed her cautiously.

"Honoka-chan?" He nodded. "I understand that you're frustrated but this is for the best. We would only be burdens to Naruto-sensei. He has...years worth of experience when dealing with these sorts of situations."

"I know. But I need this, Haku. I need to go! I...I can't just stay here. I can't." Her fists were trembling as she looked at him. Haku was startled but he did not falter. He would stand his ground.

"I won't let you pass."

In an instant, Honoka did something he did not expect.

She jumped at him.

But not in an attacking form.

It actually looked like something worse. It was one of his worst nightmares growing up. He had been a handsome boy when he went to school and girls would often regard him as something much to admire in the corridor. People would always call him an idol or something along those lines. His father always laughed when he ranted about it back at home after hours of being whistled at. They didn't like him for him, but rather his good looks. And they would often launch themselves in a similar type of motion at him that Honoka was doing right now.

The difference was, those girls were regular humans. Honoka is a martial artist.

She wrapped her arms around him and glomped the living daylights out of Haku. What surprised him was the brief pass on the lips that she had planted somewhere along the way.

That split second was all Honoka needed to knee him in the worse place to knee a man.

In. The. Balls.

It didn't matter how great a man was. Even if a Superhuman was hit there, he would have been in horrible pain. Maybe.

"Urgh!" Honoka followed up with a quick strike to the mid-section, forcing the older teen back into a wall.

"I'm so sorry, Haku! I promise the next time we go out to lunch, I'll pay!"

And with that, the girl made her escape through the window to avoid the other caretaker.

Haku could almost hear the bellowing laughter of his father as he tried to gather what remained of his dignity. "He'd never let me hear the end of it." He groaned in pain and curled up.

* * *

With Naruto

His footsteps didn't make single sound. The blonde Master walked with strut like strides and approached the port without an expression on his face. There were several warehouses where Konohamaru could have been locked up in. As he suspected, the whole thing was a trap. Well, that was no skin off his teeth.

It didn't take him long to find company.

"Hm." Naruto sighed and took a quick scan around without moving from his spot. "I didn't know ANBU recruited at such a young age...Back in my day..."

The ANBU platoons that surrounded him were severely high in number but weak in skill. He sensed no less than one hundred fighters in this spot alone; all of them poised immediately to attack. They were all dressed in similar uniforms; a complete black armor suit, black arm guards and matching pants. On their faces were a diversity of animal masks with the spiral leaf design carved on it's forehead.

"Uzumaki Naruto." A single ANBU member wearing a cloak with distinct shoulder pads spoke. "Under the orders of our Lord Hokage, we have come to execute you."

"Such a young ANBU Captain; I can tell by your voice. Shouldn't you all still be in school?" The Master scratched his head and shrugged. "It is important to complete your education, you know."

"We have the boy." The Assassin ignored his musings. "If you want him to survive..."

"Spare me your ultimatum. I know you won't kill him." Naruto waved off. "If you kill him, then one of two things will happen." His aura began to leak, causing a few of the close by ANBU to tense.

"One, I will kill you all."

"Coming from a Katsujinken user?" Another assassin from the roof scoffed. "You won't do anythin-"

"Or two...I will beat, maim and severely injure all of you to the point where you will all want to kill yourselves." His former laid back attitude disappeared. The blonde crossed his arms and unleashed a fraction of his ki pressure, knocking out a few of the weaker ANBU by the mere presence of it. The younger ANBU members were breathing heavier by the minute.

The Captain glared at him through his mask.

"Your choice."

* * *

Next Scene

Honoka was running and running but no matter how hard she tried, the young disciple just couldn't locate her Master's presence. It had been twenty minutes since she had gotten past Haku and began her search for Naruto and Konohamaru. Her ki skills had yet to truly be developed to the point where she could sense any further than a block.

"Where..." She panted. "Where..."

Honoka turned a corner and ran into someone causing her to fall on her back. "What the- I actually fell down at that speed..." The brunette looked up to see a giant of a man with a grandfatherly smile and long, blond hair. Had the situation been less serious, the girl might have took the time time marvel and stare at his size but that was not to be. He wore green robes that couldn't even hide his immense muscles that just begged to be admired. Honoka had felt like she had ran into a solid, unmovable mountain when she fell down. "Sorry!" She exclaimed quickly.

"Oh ho ho, I accept your apology youngster. My, my...what has such a young girl like you so worried?" He inquired. Honoka bit her lips and mentally decided. It was better than nothing.

"Have you seen a blond man with blue eyes. He's about six foot tall and has a green stoned necklace."

The old man patted his beard in thought. The movement was so smooth that Honoka had immediately assumed that he had probably done so a million times. "Now that you mention it...Yes, I believe I saw someone like that down close to the port. He seemed very serious..."

The girl widened her eyes. "Yes! That's the one. Thank you old man!" And with that, Honoka ran off in said direction with as much speed as she could muster.

Hayato Furinji smiled grandly to himself as he watched the girl disappear in the distance.

"My, my...what a youthful young lady." He mused for a moment and then turned up to look at the sky. "Oh no, I'm late and Miu is cooking today! I must hurry!"

* * *

Next Scene

It was getting darker and darker as the minutes passed by. Honoka had finally made it to the port in what seemed like record time. "Finally..." She took a few moments to catch her breath. "Now..."

It was silent.

Too silent. The young disciple could almost hear her heart beating. There were numerous warehouses where Konohamaru could have been. "I'm actually getting very excited." She wanted to say out-loud but the crippling silence prevented her from doing so. It was too creepy.

And then she turned a corner to face a scene that almost had her yell in complete shock.

Bodies upon bodies were piled up on each other and scattered among the small alleys. Honoka flinched when she heard the deep moans of pains that was emitting around her. The girl silently walked to follow the trail of defeated opponents. Perhaps her Master is here somewhere.

That was until she found herself surrounded by four dark figures.

"Who are you, masked girl?" The one in the middle asked, voice distorted by the mask. "We've rented this place out for the night."

"Uh..." She remembered the words of Hakubi once again. "I'm looking for a friend that disappeared sometime after school..."

"He's not here." Another one of the masked warriors spat. Honoka narrowed her eyes at that one. "Go back home, kid and play animal somewhere else. We're here on a job." The irony of that statement was lost in the tense atmosphere.

"...I didn't mention about my friend being a 'he'..." Honoka gritted and tensed when the ANBU got into a fighting stance. They looked very familiar to the very first stance her Master had showed her.

_"The Konoha Ryuu..." _The brunette hardened her eyes, now glad she had put on her mask before entering the area. "She knows too much anyway. We'll just dispose of her." Just as one of the quiet ANBU was about to jump in and attack her, a foot came from out of nowhere and launched the masked assassin back into a nearby warehouse wall.

"H-Haku!" Honoka sputtered. "Ah crap, I'm in trouble."

"Yes." The teen boy nodded seriously. "But later. We're in a bit of a situation...Nice mask by the way." The two eyed the surrounding ANBU members, and the one that had recovered from Haku's hard kick.

"Vermin." That one sounded like a male for sure. "I'm gonna kill you." The vulgar ANBU charged Haku from an angle. The other three followed his example and moved in a formation.

Honoka and Haku shared a glance and nodded, both entering their respective stances. "Don't overextend yourself." Haku said seriously. Honoka sucked a teeth in frustration and nodded at the message in between the lines. She was not to use recognizable techniques like the Sky Dragon Step. The risks were too great.

The ANBU were slightly surprised by the duo's combined speeds. Honoka stepped in between two of the warriors and drilled a liver blow to one of the soldiers while simultaneously aiming a kick at the other opponent on her left; that latter attack was blocked easily forcing Honoka to spin back and dodged an incoming barrage of quick punches.

"Damn!" The hurt agent spat. "She packs a punch."

"Tch! You were too careless Inu! Get your fucking act together. This little bitch ain't no joke!" And he wasn't lying. The girl was easily dodging his attacks within the range of her Seikuken; the masked teen was also forced to block or take more than a few counter hits. "What the hell is with her attacks...they're so strong!"

Honoka didn't answer and moved to twist his opponents arm before sweeping him down with her left leg. Any other combo she had planned was stunted because the other agent had gotten back and launched a hard kick at her that she easily telegraphed. Ducking under the kick, Honoka stepped into his guard and jumped up like a missile with her knee aimed right at his chin. "Blocked." The ANBU smirked behind his mask when he caught it with both hands. It left when he saw the girl's cunning smile.

"Longzhimao (Dragon Spear)!" From his blind-side, the brunette launched a devastating right elbow strike right at the temple of the ANBU, knocking him out like a light; hid body going down like a loose puppet.

"That's-" The other ANBU sputtered from behind her, having just recovered. "What kind of move was that...?"

"A combo I learned from watching a documentary on Pradal Serey." She lied completely. Her Master had taught her that and referenced said martial art. "It's Cambodia's favorite sport...next to football." Honoka finished and re-entered her stance.

"I see..." The masked warrior uttered. "I don't think I can beat you by myself." Honoka inwardly grimaced as a few more members arrived. She had a fair time against two but four on one was a different story. Not to mention their lack of skill techniques were made up with pure speed and strength.

"This is bad." Haku muttered beside her. He had also finished off one of the two that had fought him. But like Honoka, back up had also arrived. "There's more." He gritted his teeth.

"What's the plan?" The ten-year old asked. "I didn't think this far..."

Haku breathed for a moment and calmed himself. "I'll distract them."

"No! I won't run while you fight. W-what kind of person would I be to do that to you?!"

The boy gave her a grim smile. "I won't let you get hurt."

"That's awesome of you, Haku. But I won't abandon you like this." More ANBU were arriving. "Damn it..."

"Kill them!" One of the ANBU roared, igniting a loud battle cry. "Kill them now!"

Just as the group ran at all sides, a suffocating feeling took over the air. Honoka found herself breathing hard herself along with the majority of the ANBU members. Haku broke a sweat and trembled a bit himself.

And then there was a laugh. A cruel, sadistic sound that sent shivers of fear down Honoka's spine.

"W-who's there?" It was quite clear that the ANBU that were around at the moment were just mere youngsters who had no idea what they were doing, and not the elite fighting force Naruto had warned of. Haku had noticed this since the beginning.

"Hehehehehehahahahahahahahaha -ha!" It came from the rooftops. Standing erect was a tall man wearing a sleeve-less black shirt, dark navy pants and sandals. "We meet again ANBU. Oh, and how 'bout that, my son too..."

"Father!" Haku cried in relief, thanking whatever deities were around blessing him. "Thank goodness..."

"You're in a bit of a pinch here, son. I'm honestly kind of proud that you've finally begun to put my training to use..." The sharp-teethed man replied with the large smirk on his face. He then noticed the masked Honoka. "Oh, it's you. So you are a Superhero..."

"Um...hi?"

"Right. Name's Momochi Zabuza. I came to look for my son since he had yet to arrive home for dinner...and I've found something even better. Seriously boy, you didn't think to invite me to this party?! You should know me better than that Haku."

"U-uh...I'm sorry?" He grinned skeptically. "Well you're here now! And that's all that counts right...?"

"Of course, of course." Zabuza clapped his hands thoughtfully. "There's no better father/son bonding activity than a night of beating down ANBU, right? Well, that's what my old pal Kisame used to say."

Impatient, one of the ANBU sneered. "Who the fuck are you?!" Jumping up in between buildings, the warrior tried to attack the man from a corner of the ledge. Just about everyone face-palmed at the sheer idiocy of the masked fool.

Zabuza quipped a brow and caught the teenage masked boy with his bare hands on his neck. "Huh? You are younger than I thought. Didn't Konoha have a rule about competency in ANBU?" He squeezed his throat, crushing the ANBU's windpipes in an instant. "How boring." Was his last statement before throwing the body away like it was some piece of balled up paper.

Honoka marveled at the speed Haku's father showed at that moment. She hadn't even caught the movement.

"Well...you aren't the ANBU I remember. I guess Uzumaki really did cripple Konoha all those years ago. I didn't think it would be this bad." Zabuza acknowledged. He cast a look at Honoka and Haku. "I don't know what's going on, but I can smell reinforcements on the way. Better go son...Also, I smelled something weird too. Uh...earth and cherries?"

"That's Konohamaru..." Honoka muttered. She looked up to the man. "Where is the smell of cherries?"

Zabuza pointed to a distant warehouse. It wasn't too far with Haku and Honoka's respective run speeds. "Over there. Hm, I'll cover you two. Haku, take care of the brat. She ain't half bad but not good enough to take on any real ANBU that might be up ahead somewhere. Shit...I'll catch up."

"You think you'll beat us so easily?!"

Zabuza shrugged, "Yeah."

Honoka mentally reminded herself to thank Honoka's weirdo father later. "Thanks Shark-ossan!" And with that, she dashed away with Haku behind her. Just as some of the ANBU were going to pursue, Zabuza jumped in front of their path and cracked his knuckles.

"Oh, this is gonna be good...Man, I wish I brought my blade."

His smile was absolutely devilish.

* * *

Haku and Honoka

"Do you see him?!" Honoka whispered. Haku glanced around and closed his eyes. Channeling his ki, he felt the world around him dissolve into black. In that moment, he heard the sounds of struggling coming from upstairs.

The warehouse had two levels, the bottom floor and upper floor were divided by steps and the ground floor was quite massive. Just as they were going to go climbing up, a large figure jumped down to cut off the two.

"My, my..." A deep voice rumbled. "What do we have here...?"

It was a large, fat (and somewhat muscular) man that stood at maybe seven foot-tall. Haku widened his eyes, grabbed Honoka and jumped back a fair distance. "Smart boy..."

"Who are you?!" Honoka demanded. The large man narrowed his eyes.

"I am Master Zhang Quan, the big bad batter of China."

Old guys and their nicknames, the girl couldn't help but feel exasperated. "We're looking for a chil-"

"He's working for Konoha." Haku bit out. "We're gonna have to fight him."

"Oh...so you're here for the boy? Hm, isn't Uzumaki here for that too?"

"M-I mean, who?" Honoka asked in her most curious voice, resisting the glare coming from Haku. "What are you talking about?"

"If you are looking for the child, then you must be in cahoots with Uzumaki. I'm afraid that I will have to kill you both here if that is the case." The large man got into a low stance and rose his arms. "It shouldn't take long."

Haku and Honoka got into their own stances too. The elder of the two looking more focused than the girl had ever seen him before. "Don't hold anything back." He told her. "We're going to do what we do best."

"Understood." Reaching into the back of her jacket, Honoka revealed the hidden Sansetsukon she always had disconnected and attached to her back via holder. "You go low."

"You go high!" Haku finished and rushed at his top speed, surprising even his long time sparring partner once again. _"Was he always this fast?"_ Honoka thought in awe.

"Gyatsuinutsu (Inverse Double Hit)!" Haku slipped between the man's wide legs and split kicked him, making the man falter for a moment. Just as that happened, Haku stood on his hands and aimed a hit right at the man's privates. The man saw that coming and blocked it with one of his own hands with general ease.

"You are one fast son of a-" He barely caught the connected staff that had been aimed right at his temple. "Shit. You're pretty fast too! I hate faster people!" Using the hand that caught Honoka's attack, he threw her and the weapon down to the floor, eliciting a grunt from Honoka. Haku took that moment to regain his lower balance. "Nidokeri (Double Kick)!" He aimed both his legs and struck down one of the man's standing legs - forcing him to his knees. "Honoka!"

The girl who had instantly recovered from the throw was already in mid-air by the time the man's knee went down. "Auh!" She acknowledged, already behind the opponent's head. "Ame no Haryuu (Rain of the Spring Dragon)!" She landed multiple hard hits with her now disconnected staff to the back of the resident master's head. The multiple impact had caused some damage but not enough to warrant defeat.

"Tch!" The man grunted, "That stings!" He threw a wide elbow at Honoka who was pulled down from mid-air by Haku to avoid the hit.

"This is like fighting an annoying RPG boss that has a ton of health." Honoka commented. Haku sighed and agreed. It was annoying.

"Usually, I would ask that you cover me and I'll be the main fighter...but, I have an attack that might turn the favor. Can you force both his hands to the air?"

Honoka grinned. "I got it!" A sick idea formed in her mind. "It'll only be a second!"

"That's enough." Haku began to breath in and out calmly, preparing his body for the attack. "I'll take it!"

Honoka ran around the big self-proclaimed Master and launched a lot of hit and run movements. The frustration was showing on Zhang Quan's face as he failed again and again to catch the girl. "It's like fighting a fly!"

"Can a fly do this?" She was in mid-air with her staff in hand. Zhang scoffed.

"You can't dodge in mid-air!" He went to catch her with one hand, only to get poked back by her weapon. "Tch!"

In that moment, Honoka gathered all the saliva in her mouth and shot a large amount of spit into Zhang's eyes. "Shit!" His remaining hand instinctively went to wiped he insulting move from his face.

"Why you litt-"

"Now Haku!"

Having already gained a large amount of velocity from a quick run, and with perfect telegraphed timing, Haku hopped forward and began to spin his body in a drill-like as he shot at the large man's lower body. "Akesameha (Drill Shark Edge)!" It pierced Zhang's body and drew blood from his mouth; the power of the attack had been heavily enforced from his prior momentum. The drilling kick forced the Master to bend backwards in a falling motion. Not done yet, Haku laid on his back in a kip-up motion. "Hikimadoken (Trap Door Sword)!" The teen launched a vertical double kick that forced Zhang's back to arch backwards.

"Finish him!"

Honoka was miles ahead of his command and had long sprung herself in mid-air spinning to prepare her finishing attack. It was during a long, well timed and heating moment when she came down to land both her heels upon Zhang Quan's surprised face. It was a true coup de grace.

"Huang Long (Yellow Dragon)!"

The impact knocked the consciousness right out of the man's eyes. Haku panted deeply on the ground, having spent much of his energy running around and avoiding the one-hit knock outs the man's attacks would have guaranteed. Honoka was the same, having also spent a lot of her stamina on outrunning the slow Master.

"I can't believe he was this tough...even with our agile advantage." Honoka said in between breaths. "He had a lot of power in his arms."

"Masters should never be underestimated, Honoka! Always remember that. Luckily for us, only his strength was on Master level. Everything else was lacking..." Haku replied before getting back up and urging Honoka to come with him. "We need to find Konohamaru."

It didn't take them long to find the boy wrapped up in a bag. "G-g-g..." He tried to talk through his whimper and sobs. "H-h-HONOKA-CHAN!" He broke down in front of her and grabbed any part of her that he could. It almost broke her heart but at the same time, she was relieved.

"Oh, there, there..." The slightly older girl comforted him, calmly palming the top of the boy's head, near his goggles. "We're here now. You're safe."

"Come, we need to go."

As they were heading down and out the exit, ten others surrounded them. They were also not ANBU.

"Shit." Haku didn't care if the children heard him now. It was easy to identify just what type of men and women were around them. "Master Classes..."

"How insightful." One of them spoke arrogantly. It was a large man with shades, superhuman large arms and a sinister smirk. "I am Kuhn, American Brawler." His Japanese was gruff but somewhat understandable. At least he was making the effort.

"Such barbarians..." A woman spoke beside him, sneering at the American. "Hmph! I see you...children managed to defeat that idiot Zhang Quan. That is impressive for youngsters such as you."

"But against people like us." Another smaller man laughed insanely. "You don't stand a chance."

"Damn it..." Haku was still tired from the last fight. Not that it mattered, he could hardly even graze a decent master, let alone defeat. "Now...we're in deep shit."

"Indeed." The American agreed. "Now it's time for you to die!"

Haku and Honoka waited for the man to approach but it never happened. Right before the first step; another dark figure silently appeared, as if from thin air, in between the ten Masters and next to the young teenagers. He wore a long collared, dark cloak (with a red cloud design) that traveled down to his shin. Strapped to his back was a single jian that was tied with a simple chain weave.

None of the Masters even registered his movements.

"W-what just happened?" The American stuttered in his native language.

The uptight woman also seemed surprised but it soon turned to shock when she caught sight of his face. "Y-you. I had thought those stupid, stupid assassins had taken care of you back at the other side of the port! They said that all we had to do was guard the stupid child!" She tries to hold herself from shaking in terror, "Aukuang. Aukuang...!"

"Hm?" The cloaked blond Master looked at the other fighters, ignored them, and then to his students. "Ah, so you couldn't stop her then, Haku."

The teen boy lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry. She...surprised me." Naruto just waved it off with a laugh.

"What's done is done. No need to worry yourself any further, I'm just glad you got little Kono' out of there." He ruffled Honoka's hair. "I should be angry with your disobedience but I would feel like a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't have done the same. I am proud of what you have accomplished tonight, random masked girl I've never met before who means absolutely nothing to me!"

"E-er, right, weird cloak wearing stranger!" The words flowed right out. Naruto nodded and turned to the ten fighters. "I thought Konoha had thirty plus Masters..."

"Pft, we don't get along! Besides, ten is enough for one man! Those fools were so paranoid that they thought they needed more than ten to defeat one single person!" The insane looking person to the left said. "I'll take care of you...and grind you to dust."

"Uh huh." Naruto drawled. "Come then..." He did not bother getting into a stance.

"DIE!" Four of the Masters charged at him from all possible angles, launching high speed punches neither disciple could telegraph. However, as in one moment Naruto was standing still, the next he had disappeared in a flash of yellow - standing in between all of them with their openings in sight.

"Uzumaki Jin Zhang: Zai Long Shen (Uzumaki Forbidden Palm: Might of the Dragon God)." Invisible palm strikes to the eyes of the disciples rained down upon the four Masters from every angle; none of them had been blocked. The only thing that the disciples could use to prove the existence of the attack were the loud sounds it made when it pierced the air; otherwise, the Master's movements were just completely invisible.

And it was at that juncture when ten Masters became six in a flash.

The remaining six did not look so confident anymore.

"The rumors were true..." The woman trembled, backing away slowly. "You are a monster!"

Naruto disappeared and reappeared right next to the large American. "You know that I can't just let you go right?"

The blond spoke English too. And very fluently.

"U-um...Pfft-" Naruto landed a strike to his gut, knocking him out too without any effort at all.

"Well then, will you 'Masters' fight me or flee? I will give you to the count of ten to decide."

It did not even take them one to get the hell out of there. "Fuck the contract!" Many of them spat. "Uzumaki Naruto really is a Demon!"

Honoka looked up to her Master with a look of awe in her face. It always happened every time he showed off his skills. And even now when she was a trained fighter, the older man still found ways to make her admire him even more.

"I see that Kono' fell asleep..." Naruto picked up his surrogate little brother. "Cute kid. He shouldn't have been involved in all of this. Well...I wonder how Shikamaru's feign-death plan gonna work now..."

"It won't." Haku said. "It was an overly complicated idea anyway."

"He'll be angry but it's not like he would ultimately care." He checked his watch. "Hm. It's getting late. You should head home, my disciple."

Honoka resisted the urge to pummel her Master due to his nonchalant tone. "Where are the other ANBU? There was a freaking ARMY of them! Didn't you see?!"

Naruto just shrugged. "Konoha's standards are degrading. Those guys were nothing like the ANBU of the past. In the middle of my fight, your father-" He looked at Haku, "Showed up and demanded to take the rest. I've always thought he was an odd fellow, the Kiri no Kaijin (Demon of the Mist)."

"Believe me...I know." Haku nodded with a tone of exasperation. "I know..."

"Wait, so you just expect me to go home and act like this was a regular day."

Haku palmed his face.

Naruto didn't show any outward expression.

"Silly apprentice of mine. Today was a fairly regular day if I do say so myself. I was just slightly angry that Kono' had to be in slight danger...Anyway, I think I'll pick up some ramen aft-"

He dodged a flying shoe Honoka had thrown at his face.

* * *

Next Day

It was the very next day when Master and disciple found themselves sitting on a lone bench in the middle of Koryou. Beside the blond was a fairly modest bag and a conical straw hat. He wore fairly traditional Chinese clothing (Black buttoned shirt) and a white hooded cloak - what he deemed as country-side traveling cloths. The jian he had last night was covered in black cloth - that was the usual way to carry a sword without showing it.

The two were sitting serenely sharing a double pieced sour ice cream pop. "Hm...I've always liked these." Naruto said.

Honoka giggled slightly at his off-hand comment. "I like these days. When you're not tor-training me." She corrected smoothly. The Master smiled and ruffled her hair, something that was quickly becoming a favorite past time for him.

The atmosphere was both relaxing and solemn. It was such a surreal moment of peace that she found it hard to believe last night had happened at all. The chaos of yesterday was something she had never experienced before in her life - something that scared her since it was possible that those events might become regular (she hoped not). To be surrounded by dozens of assassins and ten Masters would have crushed most people. But not her.

Her Master had saved her from that.

Now she knew what the wise old men in movies meant when they spoke a bunch of jargon about peace.

It really is fickle.

"You are improving quickly. I can only imagine what you will be like once I return."

That left the girl quiet for a moment. There was a lot of things that she wanted to ask her Master before he left. She had so many questions regarding him...but at the same time, she didn't want to do anything about it yet. For some reason, Honoka felt that it really wasn't her business to speak on her Master's personal past. All that mattered was the present.

Right?

She reflected on the inner turmoil she had been going through many days before the events of last night.

Maybe she would get in one question.

"Master..." Honoka looked up to the eyes of her teacher. His crisp blue eyes never left her brown ones even for a moment. "This style...am I meant to follow the Satsujinken? I've been finding myself beating down others to the point where they can no longer even comprehend thoughts. They are broken and bloody as soon as I am finished. When I walk off, they believe me a monster. Am I destined to follow the path of Satsujinken?"

Naruto did not smile or frown as he kneeled down to reach her level, having just finished his ice cream. Honoka could not help but keep his strong gaze, and waited for his answer.

"You are in charge of your own Destiny." His palm reached the top of her hair and caressed it softly. "When I was a young man, I followed the path of the Satsujinken because it was the easiest path for me to follow. I wanted the acknowledgement of certain people - the very people who raised me into believing I was some kind burden. Growing up, I was often told that a parent-less child like me would always be worthless. They had told me stories about how soft-hearted my father and mother were...and for that very reason was why they died and left me alone. So I decided to grow up and prove them wrong. I became an infamous assassin that was feared throughout the entire world. I become exactly what they wanted me to be; a cold blooded killer."

Honoka felt frozen in her spot.

"I was young and foolish. We all are at that age but I was an exceptional fool. However..." He then smiled sagely. "I changed, Honoka. Just because you hold the power to kill others does not mean you are obligated to do so. Sure, with great power comes great responsibility but beyond that, it is up to you to decide what you want to do. Destiny is only a guide. It is you," He pointed at her heart. "-who shall choose the roads you wish to walk; the battles you wish to fight. Don't let anyone but you decide who you will become! Not even me."

Honoka's lips began to tremble and she began to nod quickly, and subtly wiped away some stray mist in her eyes. "H-hai!"

"Look at me." She did so. Brown eyes met blue once more. "I do not care what path you choose to walk. You are my disciple and no matter what path it is; whether it is Satsujinken or Katsujinken, I will always support you, Honoka."

He then stood up, put on his handy conical straw-hat, and began his departure. "This is it. It is goodbye for now, my disciple."

"M-master." She faced in the direction of where he walked, and bowed waist deep. "Thank you! For everything!"

He didn't miss a beat with his reply.

"How uncharacteristically dramatic of you. However, it is not unappreciated."

"It is YOU who is the dramatic one, Master!"

All he did was wave his hand and disappeared into the distance.

Honoka looked up to the sky and smiled. She felt as if a new page had just been turned, and a new chapter would finally begin.

* * *

END

Alright, from now on, I won't be making Honoka refer to Naruto as sensei. She will be calling him Master. I might go back to change the others but that will take a while.

******* Naruto will not just disappear from future chapters. I will be doing..."Cover" stories in each chapter with minor scenes of what he's doing. They will be written in italics. If any of you follow the One Piece manga, it is something like what Oda does with his cover pages. A side story that is eventually canon, or in this case, a part of my fanfiction. I have some good ideas. They will be done in an Omake style at the end of each chapter. I will not have him disappear, that would be kind of unfair to you Naruto readers. These cover stories are only for chapters where Naruto does not have a scene.

I'll call it, the "The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto." Side stories where he will be meeting numerous people, disciples and Masters. And a lot of...guest stars, you could say. Some anime fans will recognize some. Some chinese movie fans will recognize some.

*Aukuang, if you guys are wondering, is the Dragon King of the East Sea (I think it's East). He's a character in the Journey to the West.

Canon officially begins next chapter. Kenichi will finally, finally be showing up. Honoka will get a cut in screen time. But the characters of Kenichi you all love will finally be arriving. Not a tough character to write...I just need to get the right shade of wimpiness and chivalrous-ness!

THIS was my longest chapter...ever. In any fiction I've ever planned, this was the longest thing I've ever wrote. I think it's a good sign.

The ending felt a bit rushed to be honest. I hope you all enjoyed the fights and exposition in this chapter. I did a lot of shit in this chapter. A lot. The Master they fought was VERY low level. Like, almost lower than Fortuna. And that's low.

Have a nice day.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**"The Place Where Heroes Gather"**

Time Skip - Years Later

"Oi! Do you have the stuff?" A gruff voice was heard through the small alley-way.

"Do you have the money?" A more sophisticated person appeared from the other end of the alley. He wore a suit and rectangle glasses. "Let's hurry this up before that masked freak arrives..."

"What are you talking about?" His client replied. "Masked freak? Who is that?"

Sighing at the ignorance of the person, the glasses wearing man decided to go with a brief explanation. "For the past two years, the Chinese Mafia has been the target of a Masked Vigilante. Our bosses believe this person may be apart of the Phoenix Alliance since one of their Masters are stationed here. However, we wouldn't dare mess with them...yet, at least. For now, we're just sticking with subtler approaches..."

"Heh! If someone like that appears, I'll take care of 'im." The Mafia representative only scoffed but didn't mind his foolishness.

"Whatever...now, the money?"

Just as they were going to exchange items, a distorted voice spoke from the alley-way roof. "You shouldn't do that." The two looked up, one curious - the other, horrified. The suit wearing man blanched.

"Huh? Who's there?" The gruff voice muttered. "Oh! So you must be the 'vigilante' this guy was talking about..." He scanned the person's frame. "You seem a bit small."

"Shit!" The Mafia guy then yelled back to his back up. "We're getting out of here!"

"Nuh uh. I won't fall for that this time. I made sure to take out your crew before I showed up here."

"Damn you, Xinku!" Was the only bitter reply, "We'll have your head for this!"

Sitting still on top of the alley-way building was a figure of sixty-two inches (5'1). The figure wore a black cloak that had a red cloud design and a black mask (with white lines cutting across the eye holes).

"Yeah. Right." Drawled the masked fighter. "The local police will find your incarceration a bit convenient, I'm sure. Since you do direct most of the Mafia around here..."

"Hmph!" The client smirked up. "Why don't you come do-"

She quickly appeared right next to him, "-wn here." His eyes widened. "What the-" A single punch struck his abdomen, knocking the air from his stomach. As he was on all fours, Xinku brought her left leg up and landed a hard axe kick to the back of the client's head.

"Now then...I believe your name was Quan Lun? Come with me peacefully or I'll have to subdue you. Painfully."

The vigilante almost sounded bored in that moment.

"You'll never take me alive!" The idiot began to run. Xinku only shook her head as she watched the idiot move as if he were in slow motion.

"Bad guys are so predictable."

It didn't take long for her to catch him.

* * *

Hakubi's Restaurant

"Why the long face, Honoka?"

Hakubi had not changed one bit in three years. He was still old and he was still bald in terms of general appearance. Honoka noticed though - that the old man seemed a lot happier than before and she knew the reason.

Honoka hated that reason. But that wasn't important. If Hakubi was happy, who was she to complain? Old men could get lonely after all.

Unlike Hakubi, Honoka did show marvelous growth. She now stood at sixty-two inches and her hair was kept as round as usual. The girl's outfit did not change too much, now having a larger version of her hooded black jacket and school uniform beneath.

"The job I took the other day..."

"Ah." The old man nodded, "I see. You don't have to do those favors, my dear; I have plenty of other Phoenix Alliance members I could ask."

The girl shook her head. "That's not it. I don't mind doing Phoenix Alliance jobs. You do pay me for it after all. It's just - I've been getting bored lately."

Her skills had grown astronomically in her five years as a martial artist. Previously scary things like thugs didn't even warrant any fear from her. Guns also didn't scare her like they used to - depending on who held them of course. Those things were only as dangerous as the person using them.

But she had very few opponents to test her skills against in a true battle.

Life was just getting very stale recently.

"A fighter's dilemma indeed. It's tough but you must remain patient, silly girl. Besides, you are still in your springtime of youth. No need to rush anything." Hakubi replied. "I'm sure you already know but if you need a sparring partner-" A red streak flew past him and launched right at Honoka from the side-door. The brunette side-stepped the streak and threw a reverse elbow in the direction of the attack - clashing her joint evenly with an open palm.

"Tch." Was all Honoka heard. "Well, well, you're back already. I guess it was an easy mission."

"Hm. Coming from the girl that's stuck on waitress duty instead of fighting. Your talk is bigger than your skills." Honoka quipped back snidely. The two girls glared at each other with such intensity that Hakubi could literally see the sparks flying in between. Renka and Honoka had a very interesting (and extremely violent) relationship. Ever since their first meeting, they had crossed fists and that did not ever stop being a constant. When their insults began to cross certain lines, Hakubi was sure that more than a few bruises would be the result.

But he was sure they secretly considered each other as friends.

"Grah!" They began insulting each other again.

Hakubi pinched his nose and considered his last thought.

Maybe they secretly considered each other as friends.

Maybe.

"What's with those bells on your hair anyway? They're so huge! I bet you just demand attention from scoundrels. Dirty skank!"

"What the- Better than being a flat chest little bitch like you!"

"Oh yeah, I bet you just love it when you're surrounded by-"

"You take that bac-"

Renka pulled back her fist and Honoka prepared herself to intercept it.

"ENOUGH!" Hakubi roared at them with an infusion of ki. The two girls stopped their squabbling and turned to the old man. "Good. Now then, let's have some tea." He beckoned them to a private table upstairs. One of the employees, the now thirteen-year old girl recognized as a Phoenix Alliance member, was the one to serve them. He nodded to her in acknowledgment.

It was two years ago when Honoka began to do missions for the Phoenix Alliance. The decision was made on a whim after a day of training when she was moaning and groaning about lack of suitable opponents (that didn't have annoying blue hair). Other than Renka, Honoka had no equal in her realm of skills. There were just too few who could match her speed, even her old friend Haku could no longer spare time because of his new duties as orphanage caretaker.

Doing missions for the Alliance earned her recognition among some Chinese Clans. They didn't know who her Master was but most didn't care as long as she continued her good work. Xinku, very few knew that Honoka was this person, but those that did often gave her subtle looks and smiles. She was happy for that a bit.

"You two have grown so much." Hakubi gushed whimsically. "I remember like it was only yesterday when Naruto brought you here for the first time. You've changed so much."

He then turned to Renka. "And you, my dear niece, have also grown well. I remember the cute little fireball that would always chase her father around asking to go to the lake. You were so adorable..."

The two girls sweat-dropped at his sudden random remarks about the past.

"Is he drunk?" Honoka whispered very quietly to her arch rival. Said teen shook her head, "It's too early..." Renka whispered back.

Hakubi pretended to not be offended. "The point is, the two of you have grown to become powerful young women and I could not be any prouder. However-" He flared his immense ki. "-you both are now forbidden from fighting inside this restaurant! If you want to fight, take it outside! Especially when we have customers. You are scaring them away with your little squabbles!"

"Yes, Uncle Hakubi. Sorry, Uncle Hakubi." They chorused lamely, making his eyes twitch.

"Troublesome young girls..." He muttered and took another sip of tea. He spared a glance at Honoka. "You've somehow inherited your Master's recklessness."

The girl only beamed back at him.

* * *

Shirahama Residence

"Because of that, I'm thinking about living at the dojo during weekends."

"What the you mean, 'because of that'?! Explain it more clearly!"

And that was the scene Honoka walked into as soon as she returned home. Her brother seemed to be verbally confusing their father, who was insisting that he explain why the first year high-school student needed to live at a dojo during weekends.

_"Dojo?" _Honoka mentally questioned. _"Oh right, the place he wanted me to go help him find! Huh, I wonder which one he wanted to go to...I never asked him." _

The truth was, Honoka had been so proud of her brother that she didn't even bother researching what dojo he went to. The mere idea that he was taking martial arts more seriously intrigued her - and to attend a dojo was the best way to truly improve. It was a lot better than the stupid Karate club he frequented for most of school.

"What's goin' on?" She spoke up. "What's this I hear about a dojo?"

"Your brother wants to stay at his dojo for the weekends from now on." Her mother seemed skeptical. No one blamed her, it was odd to hear her son be so adamant about his Karate hobby.

Honoka regarded those words for a second with interest. "Really?" She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "Cool."

"Glad someone is enthusiastic about it!" Kenichi smiled at her support. "Whelp, gotta go!" He finished his clever escape through the house window. Honoka sweat-dropped at the sheer dramatics of the situations.

"I'm kind of worried." Saori Shirahama twiddled. "I'm glad that he's finally found a calling but recently, he's been returning home beaten and battered."

That wasn't unfamiliar with Honoka. "Hm..."

"Could you follow him?"

Honoka grinned and shrugged. "I guess. I'll let you know if what I see anything interesting." Saori smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead. She was always so reliable that sometimes, it was hard to tell which of the siblings was older and younger. The girl was the pride and joy of the family.

"Thank you dear."

* * *

Ryouzanpaku

"W-what's this?!"

"I call it the Joint Crate! It is a machine I have invented to further improve your flexibility. Although I want to teach you fighting techniques, it is essential that you work on this aspect of your body. There is no such thing as a martial artist with a stiff body!" The deep, convincing voice of Koetsuji Akisame explained. "For the first day, we must work on flexibility."

Kenichi seemed to be struggling to get lower in his stretch. _"I'm so sick of this. But I have to trust him..."_

"Here, let me help." He then felt two, nice supple breasts against his back. Flushing slightly, Kenichi sputtered out. "M-miu-san!"

"Let's do this slowly."

Had he been more clever, that comment would have triggered many naughty thoughts.

"O-ow!"

"Now then, Miu, make sure to do this properly. Otherwise, he will experience some...'slight' pain. My calculations tell me that it will be approximately sixteen hours until he can do a perfect one-eighty split."

"Hai!" She responded. "Come on Kenichi-san, you can do this!"

Akisame walked out gracefully to leave the two to work. Taking on a student had surprisingly made the dojo much more lively. It was definitely a positive change to the previous, solemn atmosphere that dominated the place for the most part. Even Shigure was becoming more active in place - the young Master no longer acted completely inept at socialization.

He was kind of grateful that Miu brought home her newest friend.

Even if he was completely and utterly talent-less in martial arts.

Knock. Knock.

Akisame seemed a bit taken back. "A guest?" He mused out loud. "At this time?"

He watched Apachai make his way to the door. The Jiujitsu Master briefly wondered if he should have gone instead of the often intimidating Muay Thai Master. "Hi!" He said very loudly.

Stepping into the gate was a girl that looked almost exactly like their disciple - with few noticeable differences like gender and height. At first glance, she seemed like an innocent little girl, but Akisame sensed something deeper in her eyes. Being a Master, he had the presence of mind to identify any nearby martial artist - no matter how hard they tried to hide it. No matter how hard somebody tried to hide their intentions, a Master could always feel the presence of a nearby fighter, no matter if their intentions are good or bad.

This girl made no such attempts though. She had no reservations at all - if her slight ki spike didn't show that she was seasoned, then Akisame was a complete novice. And the world knew that the latter was not the case. However, the tall man doubted the girl even knew that he knew she was a martial artist.

Ah, to be a Super Master.

"Hello, my name is Shirahama Honoka." She bowed politely with a soft smile. "It is an honor to meet one of Ryouzanpaku's great Heroes."

The girl had been absolutely stunned when she tracked down her brother to the Legendary Dojo. Only a completely ignorant fool didn't know of the Super-humans that dwelled here.

Well, maybe not completely ignorant. It wasn't like the media talked about the Martial Arts realm on the news or anything. But those who had a firm grasp of the fighting world knew of the great Heroes of Ryouzanpaku. They all knew of the Invincible Superman, Furinji Hayato and the Philosophical Jiujitsu Master, Koetsuji Akisame. They were very famous Katsujinken practitioners who were quite renowned.

"U-Uh...Hi! My name is Apachai Hopachai!" The Thai man didn't know what to say beyond that. "Welcome!"

Akisame decided to step in and the girl immediately bowed. "You are very polite, much more so than your brother."

"Thank you sir. You must be..."

"Ah, Koetsuji Akisame. The man next to you-"

Honoka tensed ever so slightly when she felt the presence appear so suddenly. _"So fast!" _She felt a single drop of sweat fall down her brow.

"- is Ma Kensei."

_"MA KENSEI?!" _She screamed in her mind but did not show it on her face. "It is an honor to meet the Grand General of the Phoenix Alliance." She spoke in perfect Chinese dialect and bowed deeply once again.

Kensei seemed very surprised for a moment, before giving her his usual smile. "Oh - why thank you, young one. You are very knowledgeable." He responded accordingly.

"Thank you, sir." Honoka nodded. _"He is way nicer than his skank of a daughter, that's for sure."_

"You must be here for your brother." The brunette confirmed that with a nod. "Follow me. He is in the dojo practicing."

She followed him and made sure to take off her shoes before entering the building. Her Master had made sure to ingrain in her mind that being nice and polite went a long way with people. Although this was common sense, he stressed it more so since, and as she would quote him, 'youngsters forget their manners too easily'. First impressions were important after all.

"He is beyond this door." He motioned for her to go first.

Opening the door, Honoka promptly arrived at the image of her brother's red, aroused face as a very beautiful girl attempted to help him complete his stretching exercise. The boy looked up to the new arrival and was so shocked that he exclaimed: "Honoka!"

"Eh!" His surprise was contagious and Miu accidentally pushed too hard, forcing Kenichi all the way down in an instant. What followed after was a cluster of yells and painful groans.

The female Shirahama let out a small giggle.

"ARHGA!" Kenichi screamed. "Oh-oh, that hurts. My leg..." Honoka glanced at it and commented lightly.

"Dislocated your fibula."

"Very good..." Akisame smiled and promptly kicked it back into place, causing more sounds of pain from Kenichi. "You have good eyes, Shirahama-san..."

"Honoka please. There are two Shirahama's here."

"Honoka-san then. You have impressed me. Would you also like to study martial arts here?"

Kenichi tensed and his imaginations began to grind once again. The looks of a despaired and hurt Honoka crying in pain as Apachai accidentally killed her filled his thoughts. "NOOOO!" Kenichi yelled out and formed an x with his arms. "RUN HONOKA! THEY'RE DEMONS!"

She was very amused at the tell-tale signs of his running imagination - she ignored the warning however. Honoka bowed politely. "No thank you sir. I...am currently under someone else's tutelage."

Kenichi let out a sigh of relief. Miu looked at her and brightened immensely. "Oh! You have a younger sister? She's so cute!" Miu walked up and offered her hand. Honoka took it and analyzed her. _"Wow." _The brunette subtly looked over the blond teen's well carved figure. _"I'm surprised Kenichi hasn't begged Mom and Dad to be a home disciple yet. She is smoking hot." _

"Shirahama Honoka. Nice to meet you." She said.

"Furinji Miu! And nice to meet you too, Honoka-chan." The blond replied.

_"Furinji? Could it be...?" _Honoka smiled and took out a bento from her bag. "Mom made one for you, Ken'. But I stopped by a shop and bought some more. How about we have a small lunch break - if you do not mind of course, Sensei." She looked at Akisame.

"I do not mind. But you must redouble your efforts after this, Kenichi-kun!" His eyes gleamed dangerously, scaring the boy.

"Haiiii!"

Honoka giggled and put down her large backpack. Miu lead the group to the dining room and she set up the dishes.

"Eh? What's goin' on?" A booming voice spoke up from behind. Unlike Kensei and Akisame, Honoka could have felt his ki from two miles away. He did not make any effort to hide his general prowess.

It was Miu who answered. "Kenichi-kun's little sister is here for a visit! Honoka-chan."

Honoka was not even slightly intimidated by the man's large stature. _"These guys are all humongous." _The Super Masters made no effort to hide their power. Only Kensei didn't look the part of a Legendary Hero but oddly enough, he was probably the most famous. Especially in China where people told stories about him through bards.

"It's nice to meet you sir." She inclined her head. "Nice jacket."

"Eh?! Um, thanks. It's my favorite." He replied bashfully and eyed her for a whole second. "Hey, you feel kind of str-"

"So, what are you doing here anyway?" Kenichi mindlessly cut in, not really listening to the conversation in between his small break. "Just visiting?"

Glad for the interruption of a potentially annoying question, Honoka answered. "Mom was a bit skeptical about your intentions here so she asked me to see what's goin' on. I didn't think it was necessary but I was bored...so, I stopped by. That's it."

"You're right as always. It wasn't necessary, I'm working my butt off here." Kenichi sounded more than a little exasperated. Honoka had yet to truly see his training but she could tell it was probably massive. She was not ignorant to her brother's sudden increase in skill. She had caught him practicing evasive maneuvers back at home.

"So...Honoka-san, do you also study Martial Arts?"

She didn't have to answer since Kenichi did. "Yeah. She's been doing Martial Arts for five years now, I think. I don't know where you train though." Everyone looked at the girl, who shrugged.

"Here and there." The deflection was very obvious. She then deadpanned. "I'm not that strong."

_"Somehow..." _Akisame personally thought, _"I highly doubt that." _

Her ki was very seasoned compared to Kenichi's. Not even the most experienced Karate club practitioners in High School had a presence like her; and Akisame has had to go through a lot of those since he ran a clinic. Also, the Master was more perceptive than his pupil-less eyes indicated. The girl's body was built very well under her jacket and her legs were toned to a very advanced degree.

All of the other Masters had also noticed this; consciously or not.

"Would you like to stay here until dinner, Honoka-san? You may even watch your brother train and report accordingly to your parents."

The girl shrugged. "Sure." They then indulged in the meal after. "So, what do you all do for fun other than train Ken' here?"

"Us Masters have various hobbies. I love art-" He looked at Sakaki, mentally asking him to take over.

"Uh, I train too. And I drink."

"Apachai likes to play Othello!" The Thai man declared as if it were the most important thing in the world. "Apachai also like to destroy things!"

"Cool." She replied as if that was the most normal thing in the world. "Let's play outside then."

Kenichi had been forced to work harder than ever for some mysterious reason. The difficulty of his exercises had been multiplied by at least two. However, Honoka did not know this since this was the first time she had watched him run through drills.

It was actually a ploy by Akisame to gauge her reactions.

"Hm..." Honoka's gaze alternated between the Othello board and Kenichi's training. Akisame noticed that the girl did not even seem to register how inhuman the training was - something that intrigued him. Could she be completely desensitized to the inhuman training her brother was going through? Or was it something else?

"Good game." Honoka easily defeated Apachai. "Again?"

"Yeah!" He said playfully.

Sakaki noticed something off with the Jiujitsu Master and walked right behind him. "Something wrong?"

The pupil-less man regarded him with a shake of his head. "I am very interested in what the girl can do." He said in a very low tone. "She is strong."

"I feel it too. Think we can convince her to spar with Kenichi?" Sakaki asked. Akisame shook his head.

"No. He would probably go easy on her." He replied. "Maybe Miu...?"

Just as he was about to suggest this though, a large man and a stunning woman walked through the large gates of Ryouzanpaku.

"I'm back..." The woman spoke in monotone and carefully looked at those around her. "Is that thing...Kenichi still alive?"

"Yeah!" Apachai said loudly, and Kensei appeared out of nowhere to attempt a peak at her panties. Honoka sweat-dropped at him, the short man had done it as if he had done so his entire life. Not to mention it was so unlike his Legendary reputation of being a powerful and great man.

"Worried, Shigure?" A huge man asked kindly.

"Not really..."

_"I should really thank Kenichi...things have been brighter since he arrived here." _

Hayato looked around and spotted a very familiar girl. He faintly recognized her from three years ago.

"Oh ho ho, hello there! We meet again."

Honoka turned around and widened her eyes. It was him! "Hello, Ossan!" She stood up and bowed once again. "I never got to properly thank you for helping me out back then. So...thank you!"

It really was a critical moment in her life; the fateful night at the port where her Master battled an army of young ANBU. Had the man not pointed her in the direction, Haku would have caught up to the girl and dragged her back for sure.

"It was no problem at all, youngster. It is so nice to see you again!" Hayato noticed what all the others had long done so, even Shigure who was now regarding the girl silently. _"My, my...she has certainly improved. Experience-wise anyway."_

"Do you know each other?!" Sakaki exclaimed loudly. "When was this?!"

"It was just a small thing." Hayato was not ignorant to what might have happened at the port. He had fully known a battle would go down there. The old man wanted to follow her to make sure she was safe back then but by the time he had arrived [after dinner] - the battle had ended and she was home.

He was glad that she was alright.

Was it fate that brought her to him all those years ago?

"I see..." Akisame said. As interested as he was in that 'small thing', he had a plan to conduct. "Actually, I was about to ask Honoka if she would like to spar with Miu here a bit."

"EHHHH?!" Kenichi exclaimed, "WHAT?!"

Miu also seemed surprised by this.

"Oh..." Hayato looked right into Akisame's eyes. "Perhaps another time, Akisame-kun. Dinner is about to begin and Miu must prepare it, correct?"

No one saw it but Akisame widened his eyes by a fraction. _"The Master said no?!" _It was very uncharacteristic of him to suggest otherwise. Something was up.

Honoka gave the old man a curious look.

"Oh right! I completely forgot!" Miu then ran off to the dojo to do her house duties.

Every single Master had their eyes trained on the Elder - all of them very curious. The blonde Superman just gave them a look that said, 'I'll explain later' and followed his Grand-daughter.

Sakaki and Akisame deflated after that and half-assed the rest of Kenichi's training, both deep in thought.

However, it was Kensei that had his mind running. _"She knows of me...and the Elder didn't want us to see her skills. What's going on?" _

"So...rematch, Apachai-san?"

His enthusiasm was contagious, despite the many losses that followed. He just got better and better as the games continued.

* * *

Later

Dinner was a nice affair. It was amusing for Honoka to watch the Masters steal their disciple's food and call it awareness training.

It ended soon after. "Thank you for having me over." She bowed.

"Feel free to return anytime." Hayato voiced, and the rest of the Masters agreed.

"Tell mom not to worry, Ok?"

His sister nodded and turned to leave, her steps graceful. Kenichi smiled and returned into the dojo to relax a bit.

The other Masters had also turned, except for one Shigure. "Something wrong, Shigure?" Akisame asked lightly.

"The girl..." The monotone Master just said. "She has a hidden weapon on her left arm - strapped under the jacket. On her hands were creases that can only be formed when practicing extensively with a sansetsukon, or a nun-chuck. Most likely the previous..."

"Oh?" Hayato inquired. "Good choice of weapon to make up for small stature."

"No." Shigure disagreed immediately. "Her strides do not agree with that logic..."

The other Masters listened carefully. Most of them would definitely keep a closer eye on the girl even further when she visited next time. Except for Hayato, who already knew everything that needed to be known.

He had seen the man that was her Master three years ago, after all.

* * *

_The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto - 1_

_"Hm..." A man with stunning blond hair walked by a nice smell. Turning his head, he shrugged to himself and entered the small shop. "A dango place..." There was a kind looking old man cleaning the glass on a table and two other customers to the side, already eating. One of them was a grown teenage girl with purple hair and the other was a lean man with pale skin, long black hair and ominous yellow eyes. The guy looked familiar - but Naruto didn't seem to care. His stomach was all that mattered to him right now. _

_"Hello, welcome!" A booming voice was heard. "Can I get you anything, sir?" _

_"Five sets of dango, please." He dropped the required money on the table. "Thank you." _

_Five minutes later when he was in the middle of his meal, eight thugs walked in and began to make a ruckus. "Hey old man...I see that you have some nice things here. Now why don't you take out your money and give it to me! Also, I want some free dango! My father is very rich and he will destroy this place in an instant if you don't listen to me!" _

_The old guy quivered and nodded. But before he completed the demanded actions, one of the customers - the purple haired teenager jumped and round-house kicked the snotty thug. "Not on my watch, snotty punk motherfucker!" _

_Naruto quirked a brow. He had been waiting a moment to intervene but the girl had jumped the gun. _

_"Who are you, Bitch?!"_

_"Why don't you and your cronies fuck off! And stay away from here!" _

_"Kill her! Do it now!" Seven thugs surrounded her in a moment. Naruto watched with intrigue as she easily and efficiently disposed of them. Her movements were sly and subtle, she didn't waste a single movement and all of the attacks were perfectly coordinated with one another. The girl's body moved like that of a viper - and her hands struck like a coiled, angry cobra. _

_"Not bad..." Naruto mumbled and took another bite of dango. The infamous Master tilted his head slightly when the pale man, who now wore a straw-hat similar to his, gave him a calculative gaze from beside him. Naruto returned it for a whole moment before shrugging and taking another bite of dango. _

_The pale man did not show any outward expression and promptly turned to face the girl that must have been his disciple. "Stop wasting time, Anko." _

_"Hai! Orochimaru-sama!" _

_The two walked out to continue whatever journey they were on. As far as the blonde Master was concerned, the meeting between him and the Legendary Serpent-Whip Master never happened. Ever._

_After all, it was lunch time._

* * *

END

Honoka meets the Masters. How does she know them? Ryouzanpaku are Legends in the Martial Arts realm. People regard them as, "The Strongest in History" for a reason.

And like I said before, Honoka does not fool the Masters. Kenichi and Miu yes; the Masters, not even close. However, they do not know how good she really is...unless they venture to find out. Only Hayato might have an idea since he did SEE Naruto at the Port. It is very easy to connect dots for a Superman.

I'm sorry I teased a Miu vs. Honoka. I know you hate me for that.

Honoka does some paid favors for Hakubi, meaning she works part-time for the Phoenix Alliance. So in away, she is affiliated with them. Offically, no. Unofficially, yes yes yes.

As for her skills...read and find out!

This was the smoothest chapter to write after I figured out where I wanted to start in canon. It's officially Chapter 15 in the manga but in the anime, I'm not sure. It's when the canon Honoka goes to Ryouzanpaku for the first time. I'm still figuring out what pacing I'm going to go with - but it shouldn't take long to figure that out.

Have a nice day.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**"The Agent of Fear"**

"Do you understand your mission?"

In a dimly lit room; three figures sat in the shadows, looking down to another figure that was kneeling before them in complete submission. "Hai." The tone was completely monotone - there was no conveyed opinion in it at all. It was like listening to a machine confirm the action that a human wished for it: the control was absolute.

"For an indefinite amount of time, you shall be stationed in Koryou." The shadowed figure in the middle repeated as a formality. "This is the will of Lord Hokage. Dismissed."

The kneeling figure inclined his head ever so slightly and left the room.

His footsteps did not make a single sound.

* * *

Elsewhere

Honoka was currently on a slow but steady walk back from her school. It had been another slow day from the teachers again. For some reason, her mind just processed at a higher pace than the others in her class. She didn't know if it was because she practiced martial arts or what. If she didn't know any better, Honoka would have fancied herself as a genius - but she knew her Master would have smacked her upside the head if he knew she carried such conceited thoughts.

She was currently in her final year in middle school and was cruising past all of the older classmates. This really made it difficult for her to make friends outside of school since everyone just regarded her as the 'Genius' girl. People really did get nasty when they were confronted with things that they didn't understand. Honoka was just another enigma for them to make rumors about.

With her classmates alienating her, Honoka's only hope of making a friend lied at the orphanage and Yokohama.

Sadly, she did consider that Renka skank a friend (very, very loosely), no matter how sad that was.

Now her thoughts were just getting too gloomy.

"See! See! I told you guys that this was the way those two took!" An annoying voice yelled loud enough to be heard by the entire block. "And look, the big-breasted babe is with him! This is perfect."

Being the nosy person that she was, Honoka subtly slipped into a nearby alley-way and decided to eavesdrop on the conversation - she needed to determine if her intervention was needed or not. After all, it did her no good to fight bullies that could be handled by the supposed victim.

"R-Ragnarok."

_"Ken'?" _The brunette's eyes snapped up from it's previous closed position. _"That's his voice. What's going on?!" _

Honoka had something of a soft spot for her brother. Ever since they were young, he had protected her from bullies when no one else did or had the courage to do [other than her Master]. Despite being very weak himself, she admired his determination more so than anything else. She didn't care what others thought of her brother; whether they called him a coward or a deluded fool, to Honoka, the boy was her beloved brother who would always stand beside her, not matter the obstacle in front of him. Her brave, foolish older brother who often misread situations and did stupid but funny things.

She did not tolerate anyone picking on her brother. The girl had remembered the face of each and every single bully that she had seen picking on him. The next time she met one, there would be fists raining down from the Heavens. Right now, Honoka felt her fists tighten to the point where blood was almost drawn.

The girl was now attempting to calm herself. It wouldn't do her good to lose control of her anger now. It never did.

"Still training even when your shopping? Not bad at all, Kenichi!"

"What do you want?" He asked cautiously.

"To talk. Come with me for a bit, Kenichi!" The mop-head teenager replied.

"I was on my way home." He watched as the mop-head's cronies began circling around them. Kenichi tensed. "Don't get in my way!"

"You've got nothing to worry about! We won't harm the girl. Come on, let's go somewhere we can have a man-to-man conversation - just us men. Sorry girl, you can go home." Miu looked affronted at the dismissal but shook it off.

"Wait a minute! That's not what you said would happen. You said that if I lead you to them, you'd crush Kenichi and let me have the girl!" The annoying voice spoke up again. The hidden brunette only shook her head at the arrogance of filthy gang members. They were too cocky for their own damn good - if it were up to her, she would have long broken the fool's legs.

"Quiet you piece of shit! I absolutely hate guys like you!" The mop-head, who Honoka figured was the leader of the crew, growled in anger. The annoying kid looked like he wanted to throw a temper tantrum - and so he launched a slow, ever so slow kick (at least to Honoka) at the side of his head. The leader grabbed it with his bare hand and threw the boy over by a pile of garbage.

Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

Kenichi looked a little shocked by the guys raw strength. "What, scared? If you're a man, show me some guts!" The mop-head smirked.

Kenichi nodded to Miu who immediately ran to find a telephone. Honoka followed her brother from a safe distance and hid high on a nearby tree that gave her a good view of the upcoming confrontation. _"Mind as well put on the mask for now." _She also put on her red-cloud cloak that had been in her second bag that carried extra gym clothes.

Somewhere else in the clearing, a hidden Ma Kensei grinned and looked up at fairly distinct tree on the other side of the clearing. _"Interesting." _He had also been following Kenichi and directed Miu to stay out of the battle.

"I've been noticing Kisara's troops bothering you. Let me tell you something, I don't have weaklings like that in my crew! Kisara is planning on crushing you." The mop-head said out-loud. Somewhere along the line, one of the flunkies mentioned his name which was Tsuji or something along those lines. Honoka didn't really care for the name of gang members. They were all the same to her.

"Come under my command, Kenichi! If you do, they won't be able to touch you. What do you say? I like having strong guys in my group! You have nothing to really lose right?"

"What do you people really want anyway?" Kenichi countered.

"Isn't it obvious? A man's strength is determined by how many punks he can control! One day, we will be able to take over the top of Ragnarok!"

"What will you do then? When you get to the top, you guys will just graduate and your punks will have to find jobs." It was a logical argument.

Logic was not something that most fighters had, unforunately for him.

"Stop talking about such complicated things! Don't you see that it's a man's romance to be completely free! That's what I want! Freedom to do as I please all over the world!"

Kenichi narrowed his eyes. "Freedom means that you have to stay within certain boundaries of not harming others. A gang like yours that would be free to do as they pleased and ignoring the suffering of others? That's not freedom, that's tyranny!"

He turned away and ignored the irate look on Tsuji's face. "I have no intentions of joining Ragnarok. So excuse me."

"Wait then Kenichi! If that's your answer, then fight me!"

"We have no reason to fight." The disciple replied calmly. "You haven't given me a reason."

"You insulted my dream. That's all the reason I need. If we can't settle this with words, then we'll do it with our fists! That's how the world operates at it's very core!"

Kenichi tried to walk away. "I'm against violence."

"You're just all talk, you useless moron."

Honoka bristled from where she stood but kept herself cool. She breathed in and out calmly.

"Don't call me a useless moron!" He exclaimed back before turning around to face him. Tsuji smiled.

"That's more like it!"

From where Miu and Kensei was watching the fight, they were also in a deep discussion. "Shouldn't we help him!?"

"No. It is unwise to mindlessly come to his help, Miu. Just watch for now." The Master just grinned carelessly.

The fight between Kenichi and Tsuji had began. Honoka was kind of looking forward to see just how much progress her brother had made over the past few weeks. He was easily dodging Tsuji's attacks and was doing an average job at striking back, from what she saw at least. However, she noticed that the mop-head had more than enough stamina to take on his hits. _"Idiot brother. You need to use his own strength against him!" _

The fight was very frustrating for Honoka to watch. Even though Kenichi had improved by leaps and bounds from where he was before, said advances were only noticeable because he was just very weak before. The teen had no-where but up to go when his training began at Ryouzanpaku. There were a ton of openings in the mop-head's guard but Kenichi was either too slow or too inexperienced to take it. _"His Masters must seriously be taking it easy on him. At this rate..."_

Tsuji was not unfamiliar to fighting. He was one of Ragnarok's top Lieutenants for a reason after all. Even though he lacked a distinct style, his brawler-like instincts did more than enough of a job at holding back Kenichi's superior skills. His strength was also superior to her brother's.

_"I can't interrupt now." _She gritted her teeth. _"Defending people who cannot do so themselves is a lot different than defending someone who could but is losing. I cannot just crush Ken's pride like that." _

She knew this because she would have felt the same. At that moment, Tsuji had stepped right on Kenichi's foot to prevent him from moving and dodging the incoming punch that drew blood. _"Idiot! Use your arms! Didn't your Karate Master teach you to counter?!" _

The fight looked pretty even to the eyes of regular people but martial artists could tell differently. Slowly but surely, Kenichi was losing his ground. He did manage to find excellent opportunities but often misused them - like when he slipped the mop-head's feet from below him. Kenichi had opted to take a step back to regroup rather than land a finishing move, like Honoka would have done.

_"His footwork is decent but he has no knock-out combos. Only punches and simple throws - and he can't even land a throw!" _When Kenichi got his legs scissored in-between Tsuji's legs, that was when the fight ended. Honoka had held high hopes that her brother would have been able to slip out but that was not to be. His strength and stamina just wasn't at that level yet.

Just as she was about to intervene, a blue haired teenager came out of nowhere and decked the mop-head in the face with a right jab. _"Southpaw? That was pretty good for a jab." _She acknowledged. _"Ah man, even Kenichi has more friends than I do!" _That was a bit depressing to realize.

She sulked for a millisecond.

"Itsuki Takeda! What do you think you're doing?! Aren't you a part of Ragnarok?!"

"I'm here to help out my pal, Kenichi!" He smiled and knocked out a nearby flunky with his right. "Oh and about that Ragnarok thing...Yeah, I'm quitting!"

"You know what that means, don't you?! The deserter's lynch will be on you like white on rice for this! We'll crush and grind you into dust!" Tsuji stood up. Realizing the grim situation, Takeda took Kenichi and bolted to the bridge. "After them!" The Ragnarok Lieutenant commanded.

As Takeda was running, he saw one of the weirdest things to be seen in modern day. On the other end of the bridge, a short masked figure wearing a black cloak with red clouds awaited. "Don't stop. I'll take care of them." Honoka declared confidently, her cloak bellowing dramatically as the wind currents changed abruptly.

"Cool! I didn't know Superheroes existed!" He ran past her and never turned back.

Kensei and Miu looked at the enigmatic figure curiously. "Miu, go after Kenichi." She hesitated but nodded. The Chinese Master wanted to see the girl in action - _"Same build, height and ki. Definitely Honoka Shirahama."_

"And who are you?!" Tsuji sneered. "We ain't got no time for weirdos!"

Honoka glared at him from behind the mask. "I am Xinku."

That stopped the large teen in his tracks. "The mystery girl that single-handedly destroyed an entire battalion of Valkyries." He remembered that story from a conversation between older Ragnarok members. "Don't get in my way or I'll crush you!" He roared. The boy turned back to his crew.

"Take her out!"

Two of them charged at her from the front with their arms held in front. Honoka waited for the last moment before deflecting both punches; followed by a fast in-step into their guards. She rose two connected fingers each from her right and left hands, lowered her knees for a moment and drilled them into their bodies. "Zhipao (Finger Gun)!" The two delinquents arched forward. The girl proceeded to grab both their heads and slam them hard into each other - temple to temple - drawing blood from their heads before grabbing their shirts to throw them off the bridge into the river below.

"Holy Shit." Was all Tsuji could say.

All he saw was the blood.

Kensei analyzed her movements. _"She is definitely no regular disciple. No wasted movements at all in that bout - then again, those two were extremely weak." _The enigma that was Shirahama Honoka only grew more and more as he watched.

"I'll take you myself! A General should lead his men personally, y'know!?"

The masked fighter nodded. "I could not agree more. Shame that you're injured. This won't even be a fight."

Honoka did not care to get into a stance. The boy's skill level did not warrant it. Even if he had been at full strength; even a fraction of her skills would have been more than enough to dispose of him.

"Don't underestimate me! That punk-ass Kenichi didn't even hurt me!" And with that, the large teen charged and threw a wide, very wide right punch. Honoka stepped in, used her left forearm to drill back his right shoulder and in that same movement, her right elbow fluidly rammed right into Tsuji's temple. "Longzhifang (Dragon's Fang)!" Her attack did not end there.

Quickly catching the boy's face with her left hand, Honoka brought her swinging elbow and rammed it backwards into the other side of his face - cutting his cheeks in the process. "Shuangzifang (Twin Fang)!"

_"That's Bokator." _Kensei observed with carefully. And as if a light-bulb had been lit, a stunning realization crashed upon him. _"...It couldn't be, could it?" _

He only knew of one man that moved exactly like she did.

Kensei tried to imagine the man's movements and the girl's movements and realized, _"They're the same!" _

Honoka did not give Tsuji any time to spit out the blood that had accumulated into his mouth. She drill kicked him in the gut, making him fall to his knees and cough up more red liquid. Honoka then lifted her right leg in a perfect vertical motion and dropped it straight down on the back of Tsuji's head, executioner style. "That's enough punishment for today." His face most likely had an imprint on the bridge. The mop-head had lost consciousness.

She looked at the other flunkies who had pissed themselves in fear. "I'll let you all go. However, send this message to your leader, Odin." She brought out a napkin with the characters, 'Xinku', written in inky black - and dropped it on Tsuji's bloodied head.

"I'll be hunting."

And with that, she walked away. Kensei decided not to follow her back. He walked straight back to Ryouzanpaku to report this little bit of gossip back to the Masters.

* * *

Ryouzanpaku

"The summit of Ryouzanpaku has officially begun!" Akisame declared and sat along side his fellow colleagues. They usually had these meetings now and then to discuss certain world-related topics. Not that they really got anything done to be honest - it was more gossip than anything. But ever since Kenichi had come to the dojo, their meetings were livelier than ever.

"It would be shameful to our individual factions if our disciple would be finished like this! We have been too lenient with Kenichi! Therefore, I propose a plan that shall astronomically increase his growth!"

"Eh?" Miu eavesdropped from behind the door. Luckily, they hadn't noticed her yet.

Or rather, she knew that they knew she was there but didn't bother shooing her away.

"We are going to dye him with our very color of martial arts!"

"And for us to achieve that, what should be done?" Hayato pushed on. He was more than a little amused by his comrade's recent eccentric behaviors. It had been funny during times a peace, but with Kenichi around to stimulate his insane mind, it was downright hilarious.

"He must live in Ryouzanpaku! Breathe Ryouzanpaku! Smell Ryouzanpaku! We're going to dye him every single color of martial arts for the rest of his life! He will be granted the martial arts! Healed through the pain with the martial arts! Notice the martial art's expectations through his thoughts! Martial arts! Martial arts! He shall live for the sake of martial arts! We shall give him an ultimatum, live with our martial arts...or DIE!"

Miu thought Akisame would have made a fine cult leader. He was certainly insane enough...and powerful too. Demonic was the right word.

"So...what you're saying is, we should make him a House-Disciple." Hayato clarified.

"Yes. That's the basic idea."

Miu looked more than a little hopeful at that idea.

"We can finally begin...the REAL training!"

The Masters all laughed insanely with one another and Miu couldn't help but pity Kenichi a little. The poor guy had just been given a certain death sentence.

"Hm..." Oh, the meeting wasn't over. Miu curiously stayed hidden. "Anything else?"

"Ah yes. I would like to share some of my...observations." Kensei commented and kindly yelled out. "This is not for your ears, Miu-chan!"

Embarrassed, the girl quickly scampered away and back to her room.

"Well, what is it?" Sakaki asked. Kensei waited till Miu was gone from hearing range and nodded.

"Kenichi's fight was not the only one I recorded." He smiled and took out the tape, placing into a VCR. "Watch."

On the television screen was the battle between Xinku and Tsuji's gang. "Is that?" Akisame asked curiously.

"Yes. That's Honoka-chan." The other Master's now seemed eager. Hayato sighed and rubbed his beard.

"I guess it can't be helped. So you've figured it out, Kensei?" The Chinese man nodded. "My apologies for not letting you all see her in action before. I wasn't sure if it was the best idea at the time."

"What do you mean by that?" Sakaki asked as he kept his eyes on the fight, impressed by the girl's efficiency.

"Showing Kenichi just how far he truly is from his own sister. It was not for my own personal sake, but for Honoka-chan's. She seems to be the type of person that holds her brother's pride over her own skills. An admirable characteristic."

Shigure piped up. "She is...quick."

"Indeed. The camera can barely see her movements on regular focus." Akisame agreed. "Those techniques are very lethal and yet, she aims to subdue painfully rather than kill."

"The girl's not exactly on the kind side either." Sakaki smirked. "Those flunkies are probably gonna spend the rest of the school year in the hospital."

"Oooooh! That's Bokator!" Apachai pointed and shook in his seat. "Good form!"

"Ancient Bokator? There are very few Masters living." Hayato petted his impressive and manly beard. "Chinese Quan Fa, Bokator..."

"Is that?!" Akisame looked at a stance the girl had stood in for a mere millisecond - he had paused the video perfectly on the spot. "Can it be...?"

"You are correct, Akisame. The girl is using a very advanced form of the Konoha-ryuu." Kensei confirmed.

"She's the disciple of Uzumaki Naruto!" Sakaki realized at that point. "I knew I saw him around here sometime ago but he's been quiet, very quiet."

Shigure sulked a bit. "She didn't use her sansetsukon..." Kensei comforted her.

"What a twist of fate!" Sakaki roared in laughter. "She is being trained by the Hero of the Killing Fist and her brother is being trained by us, the Heroes of the Fist of Life!"

"This is a very...interesting development indeed. However, she does not seem to walk the path of Satsujinken at all. I knew there was something interesting about her!" Akisame patted his laps, as if to congratulate himself. "It is difficult to measure her skill with such weak opponents. Perhaps we can trick Kenichi into sparring with her." The video had long ended and the consensus between the Masters were the same.

The girl was excellent.

"It certainly explains how she knew I was the Grand General of the Phoenix Alliance. Perhaps she frequents Yokohama? I'll have to make sure to visit my Uncle later."

Sakaki shrugged and looked at his colleagues. "How do we break it to Kenichi?"

"We do not." Hayato replied. "I'm sure you know why it is essential to keep her style a secret. However, maybe we could do him a favor and give small hints now and then. We don't want him fainting when he finds out. "

"It will get out soon. Once she meets a Master who has seen Uzumaki Naruto's style, they will connect the dots and the world will know in mere moments." The jiujitsu Master pointed out. "I do agree with you though. Besides, I do not think Kenichi will be happy to know that his sister is being trained by a man known for bathing in the blood of his people."

"He might die of shock!" Apachai yelled. "But it might be better than Apachai accidentally killing him again!"

"She will be a good sparring partner for Miu." Shigure said wisely, or so she thought to herself. "It would be an interesting...bout."

"It would." Hayato agreed. "They might be evenly matched."

The Masters spent the rest of the evening discussing the turn of events.

* * *

Arcade - Koryou

"Fuck!" Nanjou Kisara cursed as she lost again to the player beside her. They had been playing an arcade fighting game for longer than three hours now and she had yet to win a single match. But the red-head was determined to defeat the boy. He was weird but she kind of liked his aloof attitude.

The boy was very young. He had spiky silver hair that defied gravity and what seemed like a headband that held it in place. His clothes consisted of black pants and a gray hoodie with a scarf that covered the majority of his lower face.

"Shit, I'm out of coins. You got any?" She didn't think he would be that kind but was pleasantly surprised when the boy held out his hand and dropped three hundred yen worth of coins. "Wow! Thanks kid."

He didn't answer, preferring to look back at the screen and chose another character.

"Hey!" Exasperated, Kisara turned around to the voice. "Are you two done yet?! We wanna play too!"

"Yeah!" Seven others chorused.

"Get the fuck out of here, punk! I ain't got time to deal with ya'!" She scoffed and turned around. Angry, the punk decided to throw a punch when she wasn't looking. Unfortunately for him, she was not a complete idiot - Kisara dodged it blindly and delivered a spinning heel to the boy's stomach.

"Fuck outta' here kid." She smirked.

"And you! We'll take this weirdo then!"

The boy didn't even acknowledge them - he was still waiting patiently for the red-headed girl to choose a character.

Just as two punks were about to hit him, Kisara watched in shock as they had fell to the ground unconscious. _"What just happened?!" _She looked at the young boy who looked only about thirteen or fourteen, _"Did he do that?! I looked away and missed it."_

The punks looked at him frightfully and ran off. Kisara regarded him for a moment before putting in coins she had been granted - the girl only continued her losing streak. As they played throughout the rest of the night, Kisara couldn't help but voice a question.

"Hey kid, what's your name?"

He shrugged. "They said that I was the Third Kakashi." His voice was monotone but had a hint of childishness in them.

_"Weird kid. But it's not like Thor and Siegfried are any better..." _Kisara smiled and patted his head affectionately. "Well, I like you Kakashi-kun! Wanna join my gang?"

* * *

_The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto - 2_

_It was a cold night. Naruto was wearing a large cloak above his usual clothing. He was currently travelling in between two villages to find shelter for the night when night had fallen still._

_However, there was something in the air that made him uneasy. The Master ventured carefully. He was travelling the country-side so anything could really happen here. _

_In the distance, he saw a large amount of smoke rise into the air. "Fire..!" Abandoning his slow pace, the Uzumaki dashed and made it there in record time. _

_There were screams of both horror and delight. It seemed as if a local bandit group had decided to come and pillage the place dry. "Hahahahahahaha! Time for you pigs to meet the might of Kanryuu-sama's army!" _

_Disgusted, he jumped in front of a bandit that had his sword poised to strike a young girl. Without even saying a word, Naruto struck him in the stomach and picked the girl up and away from danger. _

_"You're not getting away!" One of the bandits yelled, catching the attention of his comrades. "We're gonna slice you into pieces!" _

_Naruto sighed and prepared for battle. _

_But that was not necessary. _

_In a flash of red and black, a crimson-haired man that stood at 5'10 flashed in between him and the bandits. He drew a very distinct blade and cut down two opponents at a very high level of speed. _

_A speed that also shocked the seasoned assassin for a brief moment. _

_It did not take long for him to defeat the rest of the bandits and the leader of the group. During that time, Naruto had gathered a few more innocents and carried them to safety. _

_By the time it was all over, the two men merely acknowledged each other with a nod. The townspeople they had saved included the daughter of the local mayor who was incredibly grateful to the heroes. "I would like to ask for your name. Please?" _

_Naruto seemed a bit hesitant before settling with a lie. "Nara Shinta." The mayor nodded and announced that to the people. He sneaked away to find a place to stay but stopped when he saw the red-haired swordsman. _

_"...Nice fake name, Uzumaki Naruto." He commented lightly and walked away. _

_"I see that you know my name." Naruto replied carelessly and quirked a brow when the swordsman stopped. He chuckled and shrugged. _

_"You can call me, Hiko Seijuuro." _

_And with that, the enigmatic Swordsman walked straight towards the rising sun._

* * *

END

That's right ladies and gentlemen, Hiko Seijuuro was the one! Except, since the time of Himura Kenshin is over, there must have been hundreds of Hiko Seijuuro's by the present. So, I just call him Hiko Seijuuro instead of adding a long roman numeral behind it. Notice his description? Is it fate?

Kakashi here is half an OC. He's technically Kakashi III, as in Hatake Kakashi the Third. That's right, the third. Since that's such a famous thing to do now, you know. We'll call him HKIII. Or...KHIII, oh! Like the game that should have been out years ago!

Masters being nosy as usual. By the way, this chapter took place in CH33-CH37 in the Kenichi manga. i wouldn't say I'm speeding through it, there's just a lot of scenes that can be passed by, like the Horinji Island thing. We'll be in the 50s next time.

Oh, and to the reviewers that pointed out back in CH6 that the series I was talking about was "Legend of the Condor Heroes". Thanks, I have very bad memory. I'm actually re-watching that on my free time! The 08' one since I can't find the older version that focused more on story.

I hope you enjoyed the newest element I introduced. I am on a roll right now since CH 10 is almost finished.

Have a nice day.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**"New Challenger"**

"How is Ken's training going?" Honoka asked lightly, simultaneously defeating Apachai once again in Othello. Said Master of Muay Thai seemed shocked at the devastating defeat even though he had suffered worse on multiple occasions. This time, he had actually held his ground before being completely subdued in the strategy game. "APA!"

"Kenichi has been training much harder ever since his defeat against Tsuji." Miu replied as she cleaned the dojo around them. Her brother had just returned from school and missed her sitting on the porch. "The Masters were not pleased."

"I bet." Honoka couldn't imagine what Super Masters felt like when their disciples were defeated by street punks. "That must have been rough. Are they teaching him techniques yet?"

One thing that Honoka had noticed during her brother's defeat was his lack of versatility and combination attacks. Even though he was physically strong enough and quick enough to evade Tsuji, he didn't know what to do with his superior athletic ability. The only moments he had struck the street punk was only during times when he knew he could have attacked, and not when he should have attacked. Kenichi lacked what people called 'instinct' for the most part - well, that's what she thought anyway.

"He is ready for it. However, Kenichi-kun has refused the training from us." Akisame spoke from behind them.

"Why not?" Honoka asked in a bemused tone.

To decline technique training was unheard of to the brunette. She had literally waited day after day for her Master to teach her techniques. And if there was one thing she truly favored among the cruel days of training, it was the technique training he would give her randomly now and then. After those lessons, Honoka could practically feel her capacity for fighting rise - it was foolish to decline that, especially if the Master believed the student was ready.

Fact of the matter was, Kenichi needed techniques to make up for his naively honest style of fighting. He didn't know what to do when an opponent was open and he had no clue how to take advantage of a downed opponent. Her brother had acceptable physical abilities but his style was too simple and straight forward. Any decent martial artist could wipe the floor with him.

"He believes that it would be 'too difficult' for him."

The girl palmed her face hard.

And moved another random piece on the Othello board, defeating Apachai once again.

"Hey Honoka, what are you doing here?" Kenichi asked, walking in from his room. The girl couldn't hold back her glare but answered anyway.

"Mom and Dad has asked me to visit every now and then to check on your...progress here. You know, ever since you decided to become a Home-Disciple. To make sure that staying here full time is NOT a waste for you." She made sure to emphasize that last sentence, much to the amusement of the Masters. "Take the technique training, Ken'. Don't make me tell them that you're slacking off because you're too scared to do it."

He sighed condescendingly. "You wouldn't understand, Honoka. They're monsters!" He pointed a quivering finger at the group of Masters.

While she wouldn't disagree that they were monsters, they were Masters first and foremost. Also, his arrogant tone rubbed her the wrong way. That won't do. "If they believe that you're ready, then you are." That was the last thing she said before returning to her game with Apachai and occasionally glancing at her brother's work out.

"Have you done your training yet?" He tried to counter a while later. Honoka scoffed at his childish attempt to rile her up.

"I wake up at four in the morning every day to complete my training.

A marathon run up the mountain, strict form training and mix up of other stuff ranging from weapon training to meditation. For her most secret techniques - the girl would practice in the wilds, away from the seeing eyes.

"O-oh, right."

The next hour was filled with moans and groans of painful efforts. Honoka had grown bored of his usual routine and tried to find something entertaining to watch - defeating others in Othello had become second nature to her. Her life had become quite dull lately. She visited the orphanage yesterday and had tea with Haku. Other than that, the girl was just very lonely. The Chinese Mafia had been very quiet recently so there was nothing on the Yokohama end.

Not to mention, she did not fancy having to see the skank anytime soon.

"Bored, Honoka-san?" Akisame had been watching her defeat Apachai again and again for the past hour while overlooking Kenichi's physical training.

"It's a nice day. The sun is out, clouds are moving about...and I just feel relaxed. Yeah, kind of bored." Was her reply.

"Then..." His smile turned absolutely devilish for a brief second. "How about a spar with our number one disciple here."

It didn't matter what the other Masters were doing, they all turned their heads to Akisame and Honoka. Sakaki made no effort to hide the huge smile on his face while Kensei just stared at the grounds where they fight in anticipation. Originally, it had been his plan to match the girl up with Miu but they all decided that it would have been better to start with their disciple first. If they were lucky, her defeating him would knock some sense of urgency into the boy.

The girl shrugged. "I don't mind." Honoka wasn't shy about showing off her skills. Also, it was becoming clear that her brother needed to learn a lesson in observation.

"What? Don't be ridiculous, sensei!? I-I can't fight my own sister! I might- hurt her, you know?" Kenichi was obviously against the idea. "Not to mention it is against my beliefs to hit a girl!"

His sister narrowed her eyes and whispered in a low voice. "He still has that old fashioned belief. The Valkyries would have a field day with him..."

"You don't have to hit her, per say." Sakaki mentioned grudgingly and took another sip of his beer.

Kenichi tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean, Sakaki-shisho?"

Honoka piped in while she was stretching her body. "Points for the head and body?" She asked out loud. Her deceptively weighted jacket was still on - there was no need to give up her restraints.

Akisame nodded. "First to three." Honoka scoffed, amused by their not so subtle eagerness.

Miu answered Kenichi's question. "Sometimes during a spar, all you have to do is position yourself for a clean hit and we count that as points. So when you feel like you're about to hit Honoka, just stop and see where you are. We don't usually do that but...since you won't harm your opponent in this case."

"You shouldn't have to worry about that." Kensei waved off. "Just do your best, Kenichi!"

Miu was put off a bit and a seed of suspicion grew inside of her. The Master had said that as if Honoka was already more advanced than Kenichi. He did mention that she had been practicing for five years but never really got into detail. _"...That's weird." _She decided to actually analyze Honoka rather than be deceived by her innocent facade.

The two siblings faced each other. The younger of the two bowed, and the elder followed her example.

"Ready?" Honoka got into a settled into a standard spear-hand stance that was meant to defend, not attack. Kenichi didn't seem familiar with it.

"I'm still uncomfortable with this."

His sister just grinned. "Just don't make excuses." She was absolutely at calm if her steady breathing was to indicate.

"Go!" Kenichi was hesitant to move first but did so since Honoka did not even show any inclination to move. That was the first mistake. She easily deflected his half-assed right punch with her left fore-hand, knocked away his other guard with the same hand and then positioned her right fist to strike his open face. The boy flinched and waited for the attack to hit but opened his eyes to see her stop just inches before contact.

"One to Honoka." Sakaki mumbled. "That was pathetic Kenichi. Take this more seriously!"

"H-hai!" He gave his sister a second glance. _"She's fast."_

_"She's only moving fast enough to just outclass Kenichi..." _Akisame mentally smacked his disciple upside head. _"Come on, disciple - you should be good enough to at least make her apply effort."_

"Again." Akisame started.

This time, Kenichi was a little more aggressive but he didn't overdo himself, still afraid to harm his sister. Once again, she waited for a wide right punch and grabbed his arm - using his small momentum to her advantage and pulled it down with her left arm. In that moment she span behind him and positioned her right elbow to 'strike' the back of his head.

"That's the technique you were gonna teach Kenichi, wasn't it, Apachai?" Sakaki asked. The Thai man shook his head.

"No! But it looks the same, APA!"

"Two to Honoka." Akisame sighed and spoke up. "It is an insult to your sister's hard work that you're refusing to take this seriously, Kenichi-kun."

"B-but-"

"You are too kind Ken'." Honoka told him. "But it is not kindness when I am hurt out there in the field because you won't help me improve."

Not that she thought he was that good yet of course. But he would be soon if his Masters upped his training.

The boy remembered similar words from the Elder and his eyes hardened a bit.

He wasn't going to go all out but it was probably the best she could draw from him. His punches were sharper but they were still slow to her trained eyes. She calmly weaved through them as if they were in slow motion and when he stretched his right arm too far, Honoka got behind the punching arm and simultaneously 'landed' an upper-cut counter aimed at his chin.

_"This was too easy for her." _Miu realized. _"She isn't breathing any differently since the beginning." _

Kenichi had been sweating slightly but he wasn't tired per say. It was just surprising that Honoka didn't even look winded; in fact, one would have thought that she had only just began while Kenichi had been fighting with a decent amount of effort.

"You weren't very aggressive either, Honoka." Kenichi mentioned, despite the fact that his Masters had moaned at him to be more aggressive, the girl was the exact opposite.

"Strike last, hit first." She shrugged and bowed for the sake of etiquette. "You don't want me to get aggressive. Good spar."

Kenichi took those words at face value. Everyone else heard the in between the lines translation.

Even Miu was starting to realize it. _"How did the others know?" _Never would she have believed that Kenichi's super cute little sister was the superior martial artist. The girl was just so cute that it was hard to see anything past it.

"Why didn't you..." A monotone voice spoke from the rooftops of the dojo. "...use your weapon?"

_"Weapon?" _Miu quirked a brow, as did Kenichi.

"I like using my fists." Honoka twitched under her gaze, unnerved that the lady Master could see through her so easily. That answer caused the monotone woman to sulk from her spot. "Well, that was fun I guess." It really wasn't. The spar was actually very dull and she would probably have to take her frustration out on Renka tomorrow. She hated that her brother went easy on her. Not because of her own pride - but rather, she felt this attitude was a downfall of Kenichi. Honoka only hoped his Masters would beat it out of him soon.

"That looked fun!" A voice said from the gates. Next to a large man, Honoka recognized the boxer from the day he had rescued Kenichi. Hayato stood beside him - he was probably the one who opened the door.

"Takeda-san!" Kenichi walked over to him and began to talk. Honoka smiled at that and just went back to the Othello board.

Miu had walked behind her. "You're very good, Honoka-chan."

"Thanks." She took the comment in stride. "He's getting better. I still think he needs the technique training."

"I agree." The blonde nodded. "We met someone named Kisara Nanjou today after school. According to one of Kenichi's friends, she is one of the Elite members of a group called 'Ragnarok'."

Honoka did not show her eagerness. "And?"

"Kenichi didn't want to fight her because of his beliefs." That was just like him. "But had he fought, Kenichi would have easily lost."

"How does she fight?"

"Her legs were developed extensively. I suspect Taekwondo." Honoka dwelled on that for a moment.

"That's interesting. If you think her muscles were good...then they must be." She commented. "Jiujitsu techniques can be a good counter to that. Not that he knows any." Honoka muttered.

Miu just grinned and acknowledged. "It's definitely on his mind now after this loss." Honoka shook her head.

"I doubt it." Was her reply, "I love him but he's a simpleton with a macho-man complex. That idiot."

The blonde giggled then sent a side-ways glance at the two boys.

"Something wrong?"

"Takeda-san used to be a part of Ragnarok but after Kenichi fought him, they became friends... so he quit. Apparently, Ragnarok plans to do something called a 'quitters lynch' on him." The girl sounded worried.

"Ragnarok..." The brunette regarded coldly for a moment, catching Miu's undivided attention. "They sure are a nuisance."

She moved another random piece on the board, once again defeating Apachai.

* * *

Elsewhere - Later

Kenichi looked at the downed form of Tsuji Shinnosuke and was shocked by how much he had improved in the past couple weeks.

"Damn it!" The mop-head grunted. "I'm on a losing streak! Argh, my head still hurts from that damn Xinku bastard!"

That caught Kenichi's attention. "Xinku? Another member of Ragnarok?"

Tsuji scoffed. "More like Ragnarok's arch nemesis. A mystery person who's been single-handedly going around wiping out small groups. I heard she's already wiped the floor with one of our larger bases last week - it was one of Thor's hideouts, I think."

He could only assume that this Thor was a member of Ragnarok and one of the Eight Fists Haruo had told him about. Kenichi wasn't sure what to think of a person hunting down Ragnarok members.

Maybe he'd ask Haruo about it later. Maybe. The alien was too damn annoying sometimes.

A few minutes later and a pep talk from Kenichi lead to the mop-head making his own decision to leave Ragnarok. "With my troops gone and Kisara's rise, there's no need for me to be here! I'll be back to defeat you, Kenichi!"

That really was very weird.

"Oh and I'll let you know as a reward for beating me, that fake boxer's lynching will come soon!"

And with that, he left Kenichi to his thoughts and a new found determination.

* * *

Ryouzanpaku - Inside the Dojo

"Now this is very entertaining." Honoka smiled, resting her chin on her hand as she played yet another game. This time though, it was Miu who was entertaining her. She wasn't any better than Apachai. In fact, she was sure Apachai was now a superior player to Miu.

She had defeated the blond girl in minutes.

"First, intentionally make your opponent block your chop!" Akisame began his technique, "Next, punch the sides!"

"Nice combo." She commented lightly. "Ooooh! A back chop and a knee to the face! At the same time!" Kensei laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Hip toss! Then when you have your opponent completely suppressed with your feet, both hands are free! And last but not least is the killing-" He punched the spot next to Kenichi's downed head. "-blow!"

The brunette couldn't help but clap at the good show. "That was awesome." She admitted. It was rare to find a Jiujitsu Master for some reason. Most people just went with Judo which was a more modernized version.

Akisame then commanded Kenichi to do the moves one thousand times each until it was ingrained in his memory.

"Shame he didn't make it to Chinese Kempo." The youngest girl said. "They have some good techniques. Though, the Karate one was pretty cool too."

"What do you do against multiple opponents, Honoka-chan?" Miu asked as she tried to decide what piece to move.

Her only reply was a casual wave of the hand. "Depends. I can do a few things. I like to fly sometimes."

How cryptic of her.

"Hm, well - I think it's about time I headed home." She checked her watch. "Good bye, Miu-san."

"Bye Honoka-chan!"

As the young girl went to the gates, she met up with the blue haired boxer. "Oh, Kenichi's little sister. Honoka right?" He gave her a charming smile.

"Nice to meet you, Takeda-san." She inclined her head politely. "Going home?"

He seemed a bit nervous. "Yes. Which way are you going?"

"Not gonna walk me home like a real gentleman?" She teased him with a haughty grin. "I'm going left!"

Takeda just laughed off her joke. "Have a nice night." He went the other way. Honoka however, was not fooled and immediately hid in an alley to switch to her vigilante uniform.

"Guess I'll follow him. If they come for him, I'll take out the group."

* * *

Later

Honoka watched as Takeda and his best friend named Ukita - who boldly betrayed Ragnarok at a very critical moment - fight off the Ragnarok group with their well developed teamwork. It was a fairly emotional moment that left her wishing for a friend of that caliber. "They actually seem to have things under control." She muttered behind a large tree in the alley.

However, things went down hill went the boss girl herself jumped in. She was a red-head that wore a nice green cap and had attractive legs. Honoka acknowledged her as a decent fighter from what she was seeing so far since Takeda - who wasn't half bad himself - couldn't seem to keep up with the pace of a Taekwondo user of her caliber. The red-head was far superior to the other idiot who had been talking big a while back.

"You know." Honoka decided to finally show herself. She had decided to go with the standard sitting on higher grounds entrance today. "Twenty on one is hardly fair. I guess that's why they call it a lynching. I guess you have to make up for inferior skills in some way."

That seemed to rile the girl up. Good, she'd become easier to predict. "Tch! You're that Xinku person, aren't you?"

"Oh? You're that Superhero!" A battered Takeda recognized the figure from a few weeks back. "You're here to help me?"

The masked figure nodded at him eliciting a thankful smile.

"I'll take her right after I break this fool's arm off!" The idiot - Honoka couldn't for the life of her connect a name to his face - yelled out loud. However, he was stopped suddenly when a punch took him by surprise and launched him to the ground.

_"Kenichi's here." _She was surprised. Takeda certainly didn't dial the phone. It must have been an accident. "Hm."

Miu eyed the mysterious figure for a moment with a curious look on her face. _"That's Xinku?" _It was the same person that had cut off Tsuji's little gang.

"Oi! Take out Xinku! I'll handle Shirahama and that cow-breast!" Miu seemed very offended by the breast comment.

"Fine, fine." Koga muttered and faced Honoka with a arrogant smile. "Bring i-" Honoka kicked him hard enough in the gut to take away his wind. "I saw you trying to break the boxer's arm over there." She commented and dodged two incoming punches from behind her without looking. Koga snarled.

"And what about it?!"

"This." She let out a tid-bit of killer intent and kicked down on his right leg. Hard. His scream of utter pain momentarily stopped the fighting. "With this, your life as a delinquent is over. I broke your leg - it can be fixed of course. But you will never find the courage to fight again."

The Ragnarok troops now seemed hesitant to approach the cloak wearing girl.

Honoka easily dispatched the others and watched her reckless brother fight off people with one hand because his other one got stuck in the fence. Miu was fighting off Kisara with relative ease due to her superior speed and experience.

It looked like a win for them until Honoka heard foot steps come from behind her. "Hm?" She turned to see a hooded figure with pentagrams sewn into his leather gloves . The masked brunette had to admit that it was a pretty cool uniform but a bit too flashy for her taste.

Kisara spared a glance and bit out. "What the fuck Hermit?! I told you that I've got this."

"Not from what I see." The enigmatic figure replied coolly and got into what Honoka recognized as a Piguaquan stance. "I'll handle this one."

"Hm. You seem interesting." Xinku replied calmly and returned with her own form.

Hermit used a unique combination of joint attacks. A chop from his left became an elbow the next moment. Fortunately for Honoka, she had seen this style used by a couple of Phoenix Alliance members. What interested her was the fact that he was more skilled with it then anyone she had ever met at disciple level. Tilting her head to avoid the elbow, Honoka rose her knee to strike his stomach - which was avoided by a back step from Hermit. "I see that you have training in Piguaquan (Chop Hanging Fist) and Bajiquan (Eight Extreme Fist)."

"Hmph!" Hermit let out a small battle cry. Honoka smiled and stepped into his guard to counter his initial strike but arched back to dodge due to a sudden change of direction. It was a very deceptive move from the boy - she landed on her hands and used her feet to defend her body from any incoming blows.

"Heh, you're not bad." She said through her distorted mask voice and proceeded to flip back into an open space.

"You're pretty arrogant for someone who hasn't even landed a single hit on me!" The sixth fist snarked back. "Are you taking this seriously?"

"There are three sorts of opponents out there. One; the opponents that I completely outclass. Two; the ones that completely outclass me. And three, the ones that are within my skill level."

"And what am I to you?"

Honoka shrugged. "Definitely between one and three." She could tell that a nerve was struck. "You are surprisingly undisciplined for a Quan Fa practitioner. Nonetheless, let's continue."

They exchanged a few more bouts before Honoka had completed her analysis. _"Spinning into his guard would be too reckless." _Telegraphing his movements, she weaved left then right dodging both his joint strikes - striking with a right piercing punch at his body just as his hands had been moving forward to attack. "Tch!"

"You have good technique but you're too slow." She stepped into his guard, bent her knees then went for a missile knee kick that was blocked by his lone free hand. "Longzhimao (Dragon Spear)!" Her elbow struck Hermit's face just as her knee was blocked. Despite the fact that he skillfully reduced the damage by rotating back his head - Hermit was still forced to step back in a defensive state. Taking advantage of this, Honoka used a sweeping kick but that was avoided by him summer-saulting backwards to regain space.

Honoka smiled. "You have good reflexes. But it's time to end this." She took a calming breath and re-engaged her original stance. Hermit looked at the masked girl's new demeanor and swore he saw a sphere forming by a guide of her circling hands.

_"Is that her range?" _He approached cautiously and moved to strike - only to be violently pushed back by a chain of palm strikes that were mixed with spear hits. Somewhere along the line, his fore arm had been bloodied in the counter attack. _"Shit!" _

"Seikuken (Control of the Air Sphere)." For the next five minutes, none of his attacks could pierce her defense. It was as if she could read his movements and counter them all accordingly with either open palms of punches. When his chops went down, she struck at open zones and when he used an elbow, the girl would just attacked low. It was very annoying.

Soon after he tired - without hesitation, Honoka walked right in front of his guard and began raining in spear-hand strikes. They didn't hurt much individually but the hits had been aimed at what little opening he had in his defense - the damage had soon accumulated over the time of the fight. Soon, Hermit had been forced back into a complete turtle defense and was too tired to properly defend himself now. He then felt his legs swept underneath him, and in that next moment, he saw a black heel in coming. "Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner)!"

Hermit closed his eyes and waited for the impact.

But it never came, the heel had stopped just inches before it landed. "What happened?" He muttered and looked up.

Stopping the girl's heel-drop with his own feet was another boy (who looked around her own age) with spiky silver hair and a scarf that covered most of his face. "Hm."

"Who are you?" Honoka's voice was slightly demanded. _"He stopped my heel drop so easily..." _

"Maa, guess I'm late to the lynching...or whatever you said it was."

"What the fuck, Kakashi!? I told you to show up at five!" Valkyrie herself yelled in exasperation. Miu had been beating her for the past five or so minutes and her temper had snapped a while back.

Kenichi checked his watch. "It's seven-thirty."

"I know you had a time management problem but holy shit man, two fucking hours!" Kisara groaned in misery.

"Sorry. I got lost on the road of life." He didn't sound too sorry.

Everyone sweat-dropped.

While she would usually be amused, Honoka's heel was still being held by the boy's feet - something that she still couldn't believe just happened. The girl stared at him through his mask with interest. "You're strong."

"Eh? Me? Not really." He waved off modestly with an eye-smile. Honoka could have sworn the boy's action were completely fabricated but she couldn't be sure.

"So, what's the plan Kisara-chan?" He looked at her beaten and battered form. "You look tired."

"No shit!" She snapped at him.

Moments later, a large group of people began to march their way. "What the hell?" Kisara spat.

"Haruo? What are you doing here?!" Kenichi asked incredulously. Behind the alien-ish high school teen was ten or so other people he recognized from school. The group now known as Niishara had charged at the Ragnarok lower members with pipes and were beating them away.

"Take down Ragnarok!" Haruo Niijima elicited the battle cry. "Go!"

Kisara gritted her teeth when she saw the tide turn. "Fuck!" She slammed her fists on the ground. "Alright, retreat! We'll fight another day!" Too weak to stand from her loss to Miu, one of her underlings - a long haired teen - had to carry her back in his arms. Hermit had also disappeared sometime during the confrontation.

Kakashi just sighed and calmly walked away. "Ah well, maybe next time." He jumped over the wall and disappeared into the shadows.

Honoka, still in her cloak, just looked at the spot where the silver haired boy had left. No one, not even Renka was good enough to stop her heel drop like that without a technique like Kakei (not counting Masters). But he did so with just his feet strength alone - indicating that his legs were just built with high strength.

She would have never thought that Ragnarok had a guy like that.

"Oi! You there, you are this 'Xinku' right? The one that beat down Tsuji after he beat Kenichi the first time around." Honoka turned to face the alien kid. "Wanna join our group? We're totally going to take down Ragnarok."

She scoffed, "No thanks." And without listening to another word, she leapt away from the gang fight scene, leaving an indignant Niijima Haruo.

"She has the right idea." Kenichi smiled at the outright rejection, glad that Haruo hadn't brainwashed anyone else to join his little group (that he's somehow apart of).

Miu however, seemed more than a little suspicious. _"Why is she so familiar?" _

Koryou was just getting filled with more and more interesting people.

* * *

_The Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto - 3_

_Hong Kong was as busy as he remembered. Naruto still carried his jian under wraps - knowing that it was seen as somewhat odd to be even carrying a sword these days. Not to mention it might even be illegal. He wasn't really sure. _

_The towers he had seen had grown in the years he was away. The people were bustling and moving constantly, completely different to the small, modest town of Koryou where he had lived for a long time. _

_As he walked down a random street, four people had been running towards him. They were dressed very ruggedly with ski masks on their faces. Hearing the alarm in the distance, Naruto figured the group was probably the one responsible. They held fully loaded guns and a child in their arms who was screaming. _

_"Hold it!" A woman screamed and proceeded to kick the living crap out of one of the robbers. She was merciless and her Kung Fu was definitely high leveled. After all, she had basically cruised right by the incompetent robbers. "Let the girl go!" _

_"What are you gonna do about it?!" The robber smirked. Naruto decided that the woman seemed to be a law enforcer. Her hair was done in two buns that resembled ox horns and she wore a dark blue uniform with a single shoulder pad on the left. _

_Naruto closed his eyes and focused his ki on the robber holding the girl - suffocating the man with air pressure causing him to break his grip. Noticing this weakness, the woman got the child away from danger, kicked away the robber's gun and landed incredibly fast kicking strikes to his body. "__Hyakuretsukyaku (Hundred Rending Kick__)!" _

_Smiling at the safety of the child, Naruto merely re-positioned his conical straw hat and went on his merry way. Just as he was about to pass through an alley, a voice stopped him. "Wait!" _

_Curious, he turned to see the woman who had been chasing the criminals earlier. "Hm?" _

_"I don't know who you are but...thank you for helping back there. I could have done it! But nonetheless, your help was appreciated." Her kind visage disappeared. "But I realize that you must be quite powerful to utilize your ki in such a way! If I catch you causing trouble around here, I'll hunt you down myself! By the way, swords are not allowed in public!" _

_Naruto just stared with an amused look and nodded. _

_"Inspector Li! We must head back to headquarters!" The woman turned and left the alley. _

_The blonde shrugged and made his way around town. He wouldn't be in Hong Kong for long anyway._

* * *

END

I was very annoyed with the Hermit fight. I love watching his fights in the anime but writing it down is tedious which is why his fight scene here probably sucks. I thought it was OK but not up to par with what I really like. He's skilled but not on Renka's level which was why Honoka subdued him fairly...easily, you could say. He wasn't a push over though, he never is.

I gave a tid-bit of Kakashi humor here.

A small Kenichi spar with Honoka was more for you guys but to me, it served the purpose as a way to let Kenichi identify where his sister MIGHT stand next to him. It wasn't planned originally but things went places and I added it. Whatever.

I want to say the Chapters here were 50-53 in the Kenichi manga. The early chapters will be tough for me because well...let's face it, I made Honoka so much stronger than the weaker Ragnarok members. Luckily, I did plan Kakashi so everything worked out.

I don't know how you guys feel about me skipping ten or so chapters so easily. I mean, there is no logic in having my Honoka be distressed around sharks and having Hayato go Beowolf on their asses. It's cool in the anime but has no purpose in my story. Dojo hunting though (CH43?), I regret a bit. That would have been cool to write but that chapter I figure, I can move to the future sometime.

I haven't written Kenichi or Niijima much since the Shinpaku Alliance is still at their Niishara form. I'll have to be patient for them. Niijima doesn't really get important until Niishara...which was this chapter.

If you guys didn't get who the person in this chapter was...well, just search up the move.

Next chapter will be a bit of Honoka sub-plot. A bit of canon mixed in later with a side-dish of rice.

**Alright. This is in bold because it's important. Look guys, I don't really care about reviews that much since I write for fun. But for those who do take the time to review; you all make writing this story all the more enjoyable, thank you. **

Have a nice day.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**"Trip to the Mountains"**

_Flashback - 3.5 years_

_"M-master, t-this is a bit t-tough!" A childish voice squeaked out with more than a little terror. Honoka resisted the urge to look down to the dangerous abyss. She was told to complete the horse stance drill - standing on the edge of a tall waterfall that guaranteed her a painful death - whilst holding two large pots in both her hands and a bowl on her head. The wind currents were terrible and the water that soaked on her feet made the task of staying balanced difficult. _

_"Mmhmm..." He just murmured incoherently and continued to stroke the paint brush in his hand. "Don't move so much, my disciple. Otherwise, I'll never get this painting done! The sunset is so beautiful today!" Honoka resisted the urge to stick her tongue at him but was afraid that the bowl on top of her head would fall. _

_So, she just settled with imagining herself doing it. _

_"Rid yourself of such distasteful thoughts. In order to establish balance, you must attain...inner peace of mind." _

_"You just say things that you hear from a typical Kung Fu movie..." She muttered, eliciting a small smile from the blonde who was painting the scenery quietly. The wind suddenly shifted and the bowl on top of her head blew off her head. The pots on her hands were also beginning to slip from her grasp. _

_"I have completed my painting." He smiled and beckoned her over. Relieved, Honoka stood straight and walked over to him with the equipment in hand. "Would you like to see...?" _

_Shrugging, Honoka looked at his supposed 'Masterpiece' and blanched at what was drawn. It was her painted plainly as a stick figure in what looked like a horse stance - practicing by the river and sun shining in the background - which was done with mere squiggly lines that even a five year old could muster in their art classes. _

_"M-master..." She sputtered. Naruto leaned down to hear her comment. "I-it's horrible!" _

_He then frowned seriously. _

_"...I think it's beautiful." He countered back. Honoka face-planted. _

_End Flashback_

* * *

Mountains

_"Remember, my disciple, the essence of our Martial Arts is sustained by lower-body strength." _

The mountains behind the orphanage had many interesting attractions. For one, there were a good range of animals that roamed there. Bears, snakes and birds of all kinds could have been found if the right places were properly searched. Her Master had been the kind of man to take leisurely walks up and down the range during his free time and more often then not, her training would take place on these very grounds.

_"Balance..." _Naruto's voice whispered inside of her mind. Honoka was standing still using one toe to hold on the surface edge of a wet rock - upon a large waterfall with her arms stretched and holding two heavy bowls on them. The wind and water currents were pushing against her but she stood her ground. _"There is no Master with a weak lower body. Once you find your balance, there is no technique out of your grasp." _

She breathed in then out. _"You have a strong spirit." _And opened her eyes. _"Legs, Spirit, Belief! As long as you have these three, then there is nothing stopping you from learning it! The 'Sky Dragon's Steps'!" _His voice was getting louder and louder as the winds grew stronger and stronger.

Honoka did not budge at all.

"..." The girl sighed and tensed when she felt another presence. "Who's there?"

"Oh?" A large figure appeared from the bushes. Honoka was sure the man had purposely let out his ki to entice her notice. It was more than a little suspicious "Hello, fellow mountaineer."

Standing on the river's side was a tall man with long purple hair that was tied into a ponytail. He wore a sleeveless shirt and simple pants - under his clothing was a body-build that resembled those who stood on Master level.

She didn't know what to feel. The man emitted no killer intent but there was something off about him - the man had the same type of aura as her Master. A man who posed great danger and could unleash it on a whim.

"Hi." She jumped from her spot and landed five feet in front of him. "Are you lost?" The girl doubted it but you could never know.

"Oh no, I just felt that something interesting would happen if I took this path." He smiled whimsically. "My name is Ogata Isshinsai, but my friends call me Kensei. It is nice to meet you."

"Shirahama Honoka." She bowed. "I'm currently in the middle of...something important."

The man nodded. "I understand. You practice martial arts, I understand it?" There was no use denying it since he had seen it. Not that she would deny something so trivial. "You have good form, young lady. I sense...good potential within you."

"Thanks." Honoka replied and checked the watch on the bundle of clothes she had left near the river. "I've been here for a while now. School will start in about thirty minutes."

Kensei quirked a brow. "Koryou is about three hours from here."

Honoka just smiled and shrugged enigmatically. "I can make it." She gathered her personal belongings and placed them into a bag. Before leaving though, Honoka turned and bowed once again to the purple-haired man.

"There is a den of bears fifty yards north-east from here. Take care of yourself, Kensei-san."

"And you, Shirahama-san."

He kept his eyes pinned on her back as she moved at an inhuman speed back to the city.

Ogata, also known as Kensei, smirked and turned to gaze at the beautiful green scenery beyond the waterfall. "You never know who you'll meet in the mountains..." He uttered quietly.

* * *

Ryouzanpaku

"So...this Hermit guy is actually some play-boy named Natsu Tanimoto?"

Miu nodded and looked down to the Othello board. Yet again, she was on the verge of defeat. The young Shirahama's talent in the game was clearly unsurpassed.

"Yeah." Kenichi sighed and fiddled with his bandages, which caught Miu's attention making her scold him a bit. "The fights I've been getting into...it kind of scares me a bit!" He quivered on the ground comically.

"Bah! Gutless." The resident Chinese Master sneezed from the corner making the boy cry pathetically. Miu just sighed and patted Kenichi on the head. He was comforted only slightly.

Honoka was a bit jealous. She hadn't gotten into a fight on a bus yet; it sounded like an action scene from a Jackie Chan movie - it seemed that her luck didn't extend to awesome battles.

"Still...it's hard to believe that Tanimoto is the Hermit of Ragnarok. He always seemed so...normal." Miu voiced before sipping her tea.

Kenichi nodded with a serious look on his face. "It was all in order to trap me...!"

"Sounds like such a spirited young man to me! Kids like that are very rare..." The Jiujitsu Master commented lightly.

"Indeed. His fighting style was very fun to watch!" Kensei agreed. "Our disciple was quite good too."

"It was a pretty good experience, ne?" Akisame teased Kenichi who vehemently denied that accusation, eliciting a chuckle from everyone around.

"Sensei! He was trying to kill me!" The young disciple insisted just as the door opened revealing the Elder, who Honoka noticed, was absent very often.

"A person who seeks the life of Martial Arts...IS AN ADULT!" Elder exclaimed with an infusion of ki - the wind of his words blowing away the Othello board out the window. Miu cried, "Grandpa!" She had been losing but didn't want to upset the guest. Honoka just shrugged, uncaring.

"Welcome back!"

"Oh? You have returned, Elder?"

"Do you have any souvenirs for Apachai?!"

"How was the South?" Miu asked again and began checking him for wounds. Hayato just smiled and waved her off.

"Extremely difficult! But that is irrelevant. Tell me what has been going on." And so they did. They detailed the battle between Kenichi and Hermit that had happened some time after Takeda's lynching.

Honoka herself didn't really know what happened other than Miu's unimpressive story-telling so she listened. Apparently, the blond girl had been involved in a play (that Honoka couldn't make because she was never told) - and that the other lead of the play was a boy named Natsu Tanimoto who was the Hermit of Ragnarok, the very same Honoka remembered defeating not too long ago.

"Right, right...so basically, you've found yourself a rival, Ken-chan." The boy nodded meekly since the man was emitting ki unconsciously. Miu had briefly told him that, "He's always like this after trips."

"Rivals are good! They enhance you, they are the thorns that break you out of your shell! They are suitable for people like us. With this, you have finally entered the ranks...of true martial artists!"

"Eh?!" Kenichi exclaimed with surprise and then looked at his Karate Master. "Master Sakaki, do you have any rivals aiming for your life?"

The beer drinking man spent a second in thought before responding. "Yup."

He then began to count them mentally with his fingers, as had all the other Masters.

"I remember about fifty!" Kensei exclaimed with glee.

"I've tried the best for myself without creating feelings of resentment...but I suppose, there are a few." Akisame nodded and continued his art work.

"Twenty-four, twenty-five...no wait, that guy died I think. Hm..." The disciple only shivered at the thought of the world he was entering.

Honoka smiled internally at the thought of having a rival to fight with constantly.

When she realized the identity of the only person that could have been her rival, she frowned. It was that skank, Ma Renka. _"Damn it. I need more rivals...Yeah, maybe if I find that silver-haired guy from the other day..."_

"Since your life is being threatened, your training must be done more strictly. Because defeating a person who seeks to kill you without killing them is truly difficult!" Akisame declared with a frown - before quirking his lips into an evil smile. "Speaking of which, Kenichi-kun...doesn't your summer vacation begin soon...?"

The boy blanched.

"Shall we...take you to a nice place...?"

"U-u-uh summer vacation is cancelled this year! Right Miu-san, Honoka?!"

"Just accept it. They're going to take you there even if it's by force." Miu replied with an exasperated smile.

Honoka just glared at him. "No! I love summer vacation! It is so not-cancelled!" She stood up abruptly and pointed at him. "You can't make me go back to school!" She stuck her tongue at him.

"Then it is decided!" Akisame clapped happily and looked at Honoka. "Do you want to come to? It will be a fun trip."

The youngest girl shrugged. "Sure. I love trips!"

* * *

Later

"Last time it was the Sea...and now, it is deep in the mountains!" Kenichi groaned as the backpack he brought was straining his spine. There was also another issue that annoyed him. "Honoka! Get off my backpack!"

"You have many complaints, Kenichi-kun. If you want to arrive before sunset, then be quiet and keep climbing!" His Jiujitsu Master reiterated for what seemed like the tenth time that day - during the same climb.

"It is an older brother's job to take care of his younger sister!" She exclaimed innocently and flipped a page of the book she was reading. "Besides, this is good training for you! It will build your inner strength!"

"Indeed." Akisame agreed. "You should listen to your younger sister more often, Kenichi-kun. She makes logical arguments!"

"Logical...!?" He cried on as they kept on climbing. It took them another good hour or two to climb the cliff and hike up the pathways. Honoka didn't bother moving, she wasn't very interested in climbing a mountain when she could have just floated up with her internal skills.

"W-when are we going to get there?! Wherever it is we're going to...?" The disciple panted, deeply in fatigue.

"Soon, real soon..."

"You've been saying that since this morning! Is that an accident?!"

"Yup, it really is...like that." The older man smiled. "Oh, a bullfinch!" Honoka had to roll her eyes at the horrible pun. Apachai clearly disagreed and patted Akisame on the back with a 'Nice double pun, Akisame!' and Kenichi just screamed a, 'I don't believe you!', from beside her.

"Where are you taking us?!"

"To meet someone here."

"Someone actually lives here in the mountains!?"

"Yes." Akisame confirmed. "The man that lives here practices the nearly lost style of Old School Jiujitsu! It was an unarmed grappling style developed in Ancient Japan. But for some hand-to-hand combat, there are small techniques that use many small weapons like short swords and daggers. It was developed a long time ago...during the warring states era but has nearly been forgotten." He detailed after seeing the questioning look on Kenichi's face.

"Is that your style, Master Koetsuji?"

"No." Was his reply. "My style is a fusion of all types of Jiujitsu. In a way, you could call it the Koetsuji style."

"Cool." Honoka muttered before sensing an attack from above. Miu also noticed it and yelled out, "Look out!"

The youngest of the group took the book in her hand and threw it in direction to block an incoming throwing knife that was aimed at Akisame. She had done it by instinct to defend - not by thought since she knew for a fact that an attack like that would have never harmed the man.

A man then revealed himself from a tree and landed roughly on the ground, knocking back the youngest members of the group by the sheer force of it. Apachai blocked the wave and protected the kids. The newly revealed man rolled away from an array of punches from the Muay Thai Master and made his way to Akisame - still in an attack position.

In the very next second, the two shook hands - prompting a face-plant from the younger groups.

"Welcome."

"Long time no see."

Even Apachai looked confused.

"Don't confuse me like that!" Kenichi exclaimed while his Master just quirked a brow.

"What? We've always greet each other like that."

_"I'm glad my Master isn't weird like that." _She suddenly remembered her Master's obsession with ramen and oranges. She mentally grimaced. _"Never mind..."_

The un-named man turned his head to the boy. "Oh, is this the Kenichi I've been hearing about? The one called Ryouzanpaku's disciple..." He spared a momentary glance at Honoka who had gone back to reading a book that was now knife-less. "My son has been eagerly awaiting your arrival, Kenichi-san." They shook hands causing the younger man to grimace a bit at the sheer strength of his grip.

"This is the man who preserves the skill of Yamamoto School Jiujitsu, Yamamoto Taiki. In my opinion, his only son is closely matched in skill with you, Kenichi-kun."

"I saw that too." He referenced the handshake without saying a word about it. "Come, my house is just ahead. Let's go before the sun sets."

"Sorry for the inconvenience." Akisame replied. Taiki just waved it off.

"Man...this is going to be a long trip." Kenichi sighed and walked on.

Miu smiled and followed on alongside Honoka, who she looked at while doing so. "Nice reflexes back there, Honoka-chan!"

"Oh...my hand just moved on it's own. It was nothing." She grinned back and returned to the book - despite it's slight damage. Miu could tell that the girl was just being modest and let the topic go. Ever since her spar with Kenichi, the blonde could tell that her skills were beyond that of her brothers. She hid them very well.

Up ahead, Taiki subtly nudged Akisame. "That girl..."

"Yes. She won't be sparring with your son though, unless she wants to. The girl is surprisingly very shy." He grinned. "She is the disciple of another...person."

"And that is?"

"I'm sorry." The pupil-less man inclined his head. "I am not at liberty to say."

"I see." Taiki tucked the corner of his mouth. "She has good eyes. There is nothing more that needs to be said. For now."

He then approached his small house. It was a very modest place that was built by wood.

"Akisame-san. Why match Kenichi against this man's son? If he needed a sparring match, can't I have just done that?" Miu asked. The Master shook his head and explained.

"Don't take this the wrong way. It is because of Kenichi-kun's belief that stops him from truly progressing against spars with you, since he refuses to hit a girl." The man didn't think much of his disciple's chivalrous attitude. Everyone had their vices, this was just his. There were certainly worse things he could have believed in. "Moreover...he has many wicked thoughts."

Kenichi didn't deny that. But he was wise enough not to voice it.

"I was think that if his next match would become a fight to the death, I wanted him to study with an opponent with a similar skill level to his own before it. I thought it wise."

"I am grateful for your insight, Master."

The group continued on-wards to the house and was met with the owner once again.

"Sorry to intrude." Akisame voice mechanically. Taiki mentally rolled his eyes and went on.

"No problem. Let me introduce my son, Naoki."

He gestured to a boy that had been walking in at that moment. The boy was very short, almost shorter than her by a few centimeters. He had round black eyes and spiky black hair.

The boy and Kenichi spent a moment staring at each other before pointing their fingers and laughing. _"This guy is at my skill level?!" _They thought simultaneously.

"Is something funny?!" They both yelled once again in sinc. Honoka spared Miu an amused glance, the blonde returned it with a hidden grin.

"A good joke, Master Akisame! There's just no way."

"Father, you mean this frail teenager is at my level?!" Naoki reiterated his feelings and pointed at Kenichi.

"Good to see you become friends so quickly!" The youngest brunette smirked and nudged her brother.

"They're already good friends, Apa?"

"It's true." Miu giggled. _"They are at the same skill level!" _

"Alright, let's introduce you. Yamamoto Naoki, twelve-years old and the legitimate successor to the Yamamoto School of Jiujitsu." The boy puffed his chest at Akisame's introduction.

"Master, under no circumstance-" Kenichi began but was cut off.

"FATHER!" The boy suddenly shouted, catching everyone's attention.

"What is it?"

"For as far back as I can remember, I have done nothing but immerse myself in Jiujutsu! And if my first inter-disciple opponent is this weak looking guy, then I can't approve of it! Who do you think you are?!" He pointed childishly at Kenichi.

"That sucks, Apa. You want me to fight instead?" The thai man asked innocently.

"D-don't concern yourself."

"Naoki! What type of attitude is that to take towards our special guests!" He glared at his son, making the boy quiver and turn back to apologize. Akisame just waved off and replied, "I don't mind. He's just speaking his mind." Kenichi didn't look like he shared the same sentiments though.

"It seems to me that a quick sparring match would clear the air between them." Miu snickered at her first friend who seemed annoyed at being thought of as this young boy's equal.

"There's still some sun...a bout would get us acquainted then."

"I won't go easy on you!" Naoki declared.

"I'll make you cry." Kenichi narrowed his eyes.

Honoka just snickered and followed the group out back, but not before putting away her book inside her jacket. This might be very interesting to see. She had yet to fight a true disciple of Jiujitsu or see one in action in real life.

* * *

Backyard

"The rules are simple." Taiki explained. "Any strike or throw wins the match. We'll leave individual evaluations for later."

Honoka watched as Kenichi stretch himself and Naoki set up the field to his liking. _"Hm." _The boy had cleverly dug a hole and placed a rock in it. A strategy?

"Oh, Kenichi-kun. About going is easy, my advice is-"

"I got it! Not hitting girls and kids, that's me!"

"No, no. I'm telling you to not do it!" He said and walked back. Kenichi spared a questioning glance at his Master.

"Yamamoto Naoki representing Yamamoto School Jiujitsu! Present!"

"Ryouzanpaku's Number One disciple, Shirahama Kenichi, if you please!"

They both settled into a stance.

Taiki and Akisame moved next to Apachai, Miu and Honoka. "What do you think?" The philosopher asked her.

"My brother is severely underestimating him. Worse than he did with me. He'll lose for sure." She yawned back and stretched for some comfort.

"Do you wish to spar as well?" Taiki asked her.

Honoka shrugged. "If you want." They then went back to the match between the two boys.

It wasn't as interesting as she had hoped. Naoki had used the rock that he positioned under his heel to subtly increase his speed and easily landed a hit on Kenichi. His in-step was simply superior. "Match!"

"I-I wasn't ready! One more match please." Akisame and Taiki shrugged. They had plenty of time.

"I don't care how many times! I'm still gonna beat you!"

_"I just got embarrassed in front of Miu and Honoka! This time, for real!" _

"Stop thinking so much Ken'. Just keep your eyes open and react." Honoka advised. "Just like what your teachers taught you." Kenichi nodded and turned back.

Akisame looked at her. "You do realize that the point of this is for him to learn tactics, right?"

Honoka shrugged. "He's not that smart. To win, it's best that he sticks with what he knows for now, right?"

That was a fairly good point, he acknowledged.

The match started again and this time, Kenichi only managed to last a little longer. The boy threw a side chop that turned into a grip - this lead to him jumping on Kenichi (who realize his horrible footing) horizontally with both his legs across the teen's chest. "Armlock Twist Takedown!" Naoki used his superior positioning and pushed Kenichi down into an arm-bar throw down.

Kenichi had lost consciousness from the impact.

Honoka sighed and palmed her face. _"Lack of tactics indeed but Kenichi needs more experience to apply it in a real fight."_

"F-father, is that guy really at my level?" Naoki jogged back with a worried look. The guy was really weak after all. If he was at that level than he had a right to be curious.

"Yes." He nodded surely. "I also want you to spar Honoka-san here."

Naoki looked at her with a bored glance. She ignored the look and walked calmly to the center. Something was on her mind when she remembered proper sparring etiquette. She looked at Akisame, "I know that you know."

"Oh? Do you now?" He grinned mysteriously. "What do you mean by that?"

"I visited my Uncle Hakubi a week back and he told me that his nephew, Ma Kensei, _knows._" She declared and glanced at her brother who was out-cold. "So I'm assuming..."

"Yes. Don't worry, we are not so judgmental." He patted her shoulders.

"I am not ashamed! I think of Master as a second father!" She bit out and glared at a tree. "I love him." Honoka whispered affectionately, her hand unconsciously making it's way to her chest. It had been so long since she had seen him - and the girl missed him immensely. She missed the times they spent as Master and Student.

"I can tell." Was his reply. "You misunderstand, I have no grievance against your Master at all."

Honoka just stared into his pupil-less eyes and nodded. The brunette believed him. "Good. Because he's a good man with a heart of gold." She then began to prepare herself for the match. "About Miu..."

"I understand your distrust but I assure you, she won't think much of it." Akisame reassured. "Don't be shy. Besides, the only unreasonable person here is out-cold and we are far from civilization. Taiki and his son are also trustworthy."

The brunette nodded again and left to face Naoki.

The boy still looked bored. "You're that guy's sister right? You shouldn't be any better." Had an adult said it, those words would have irked her. But his childish voice couldn't strike any nerve of her's - the boy faintly reminded Honoka of Konohamaru - one of her only friends from the past. The only difference was that the boy was around her age.

"Yamamoto Naoki representing Yamamoto School Jiujitsu. Here!" He seemed less enthused. That was good - the boy wasn't taking her seriously.

"Shirahama Honoka. Cloud Dragon Fist style."

Miu and Taiki widened their eyes as she said that, the latter tensing for a moment before relaxing. _"Yunlongquan!" _

The blonde teen just stared at Honoka with something akin to interest and horror. "Honoka-chan..." Akisame placed his hand on her shoulders. "Akisame-san...?"

"Things are not always as they seem, you cannot tell this to anyone, not even Kenichi. Understand?" Miu seemed hesitant but nodded anyway. It was just a surprising revelation and it came out of nowhere.

To think that her friend's younger sister is the successor of such an infamous style.

She had remembered a time when her Grandfather had returned from a particular request a long time ago. During the mission, he had sustained an injury to his left shoulder; a bulging hole that was the shape of a hand strike. All he had said at the time was, 'I let my guard down against a very powerful young man.' It was only sometime after that when she had heard the name of the martial arts that was used to harm him.

_"He called it, 'Unryuken' - Cloud Dragon Fist."_

Miu resolved to focus all of her attention to the fight. It would be a worthwhile experience. Taiki felt the same way and also kept his full attention on the girl's movements.

Naoki used the same tactic he had used against Kenichi and charged her with increased speed. Honoka watched him in slow motion - and waited for the very last moment before tilting his punch slightly to the left with her own left. She then stepped into the boy's swing and in a flash, positioned a right handed spear strike to his face - one that was stopped just moments before landing. Naoki flinched backwards at the sudden movement and fell down to his rear. "Match." Akisame declared.

"W-what happened?" The boy sputtered. _"That was too fast!" _

_"What incredible speed for someone so young._" Taiki observed silently. _"She is on a completely different level than her brother."_

_"Not even I was that fast at her age." _Miu felt a shiver run down her spine. Whether it was one of excitement at the thought of having a high level sparring partner or the fact that she was so surprised, the blonde had no clue.

"The thing about your tactic is - you're moving at a speed that your body isn't quite used to." Honoka observed. "Because of this, your body cannot move quickly enough to block or dodge counters from opponents who are good enough to do so." The boy widened his eyes and nodded quickly. That made some sense.

"Another!" Just as he said this, everyone noticed that the sun had completely went down. Akisame shook his head.

"Unfortunately, we only agreed to spar before the sun went down. Besides, it is time for dinner. Miu?" The blonde nodded.

"I'll prepare tea." Honoka piped in. Miu grinned and beckoned her to follow. "Let's go Apachai-san!" The brunette called out, eliciting a loud, "APA!"

When the three were out of range, Taiki spoke up. "She's good. I noticed this when she blocked my knife with a book; didn't think she would outclass Naoki by such an overwhelming amount though."

"Indeed. Honoka-san is very skilled for her age. Uzumaki Naruto is not only a Master Class at fighting - but also at teaching his disciples." Akisame acknowledged.

"This is a welcome surprise." Taiki replied and looked to Kenichi who was on Akisame's shoulder. "Let's get him inside before he catches a cold."

"Hm."

* * *

Dining Room

Honoka was helping Miu prepare tea and dinner while playing Apachai in Othello. Of course, she was still winning but the man had gotten better and better as time went on. There were times when the intervals between moves had gone up to two of three minutes.

"So..." Miu began, "We should...spar sometime."

Honoka shrugged and moved a piece of the board while pouring water into a kettle. "Sure. But not when Ken's around. He's the question asking type." One question lead to another and another. She didn't want to risk her brother freaking out about her learning from a mass murderer by reputation.

The elder girl grinned. "Alright..." She placed her arm around the younger girl's shoulder. It was probably the first time they shared a moment in relative, comfortable silence.

Miu looked at Honoka and saw a shadow of herself in her being. Just a small shadow. But that was enough to create a feeling of understanding between them, especially for Miu who was the more experience martial artist. While under different circumstances, it was not difficult to see the signs of a lonely person. Miu had always been different growing up. Honoka was forbidden from showing herself and her genius mind in school put off others.

_"She's...kind of like me." _

The blonde just smiled and finished preparing dinner.

* * *

_Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto - 4_

_Naruto was once again on the country-side of China's northern plains. He had left Hong Kong weeks ago after replenishing his supply of snacks - ramen and oranges - and gathering information on Konoha's where-abouts. In the past, he remembered them having a base somewhere in northern China near the old Mongolian territory. _

_He was headed by foot due to his cautious side. Not to mention, it was more interesting this way. Information was gathered on the ground, not the air. _

_"Hm." A tingle in his spine he had been feeling for a while now finally got to him. Naruto let out a sound of thought, "If you're going to follow me, at least do so properly." _

_Two figures appeared from behind randomly placed trees. "Uzumaki Naruto." The one on the right spoke. Like Naruto, he wore a conical straw-hat that obscured his face. The man stood at about the same height and had straight, dark hair that went down to his lower back He wore beaten clothes that made him come off as a regular peasant or a farmer - but the pole on his back that's end was covered by black cloth made those thoughts irrelevant. _

_There was a woman standing beside him. She had long dark, curly hair and expressionless eyes. She wore similar clothes but with a more feminine air. Unlike the man, she had no weapons. _

_But even so, Naruto felt a dark ki emitting from her. She felt dangerous. "I see that even in the northern plains, I am still famous." _

_"Such modesty does not suit one of the world's most wanted men. The Council that you hide behind cannot protect you anymore...and now you dare trespass on our territory?" _

_"Trespass?" Naruto inquired curiously. "What do you mean?" _

_"This land belongs to Yami. We are the vanguards of this plain and one of our spies alerted us to your presence." He spoke with an authoritative voice. "I cannot allow such a heinous criminal leave here alive! You, who follow the path of Gedou (Demon Path)!" The man suddenly grabbed his pole, took off the cloth to reveal a spear's edge and red strings attached traditionally. _

_"I did not know Yami had members who preached Justice." The blonde Master iterated with an amused tone. The man's false accusations were new to his ears.__"Do you not follow the path of Satsujinken?"_

_"Yes. But my wife and I believe that a few deaths are acceptable if peace is brought!" _

_"Peace? You dare speak of such things and accept men like Silcardo Jenazad as one of your elites at the same time? How woefully ignorant of you." Naruto replied sternly and dodged the man's incredibly fast spear thrust with a side-step. The thrust was strong enough to generate a push of air that crushed against a nearby tree._

_"How hypocritical of you, Uzumaki Naruto, the infamous Massacre Man. You will not leave these plains alive!" The hat wearing man stroke his weapon with speed that forced Naruto back a few steps to dodge. He observed it carefully._

_"These moves..." The Uzumaki muttered and dodged another array of supremely fast strokes. "Could it be...?" _

_"Hmph!" His opponent grunted and charged at him fully. "Qianmao (Thousand Spears)!" The speed of his strikes were so fast, and filled with such immense ki, that the image of the spear multiplied itself by what seemed like several hundreds - or what the names suggested - a thousand. The pointed edges were launched at him with a speed that was invisible to regular eyes._

_But even so, Naruto had not survived this long without being powerful. He got into a spear-handed stance and weaved in between all of the strikes with perfect efficiency, and even knocked away thrusts that he couldn't fully avoid - shocking the spear user. As soon as he escaped the range of the fierce-some attack, Naruto stepped in close to the man's weak side. _

_"Uzumaki Jin Zhang: Long Shen De Panduan (Uzumaki Forbidden Palm: Judgement of the Dragon God)!" _

_The tables had turned in an instant. With his hand in a spear-like motion, he rained in ki-enhanced thrusts at the man's opening in guard. But that was not all there was to the technique. As if he were controlling an invisible force, thrusts of air impacted all sides of him where the strikes landed - further damaging the spear user's physical body and internal organs._

_And the battle ended. Naruto abruptly turned back away from the man, who's lips were seeping out blood, and was on his knees - the spear dropping by his side._

_"I'm impressed that you managed to defend most of my strikes." Naruto acknowledged. It was a sign that his opponent was a very High Leveled Master and not like the ones back at the port. He had used his spear to deflect many of his nukites, only taking hits where he could have afforded. Obviously, that was not enough to stop the blonde's hand speed._

_"I'm even more impressed that you managed to get behind me." Naruto grinned and jumped, spinning away as claw-like hands just missed him by a hair's inch - the aura she emitted feeling darker than usual. He spared it a glance and saw a signature blue-like smoke emit from her fingers. Her nails were also unusually sharpened, a side-effect of ki enhancement and great inner strength._

_"Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhao (9-Yin White Bone Claw)?" The blonde smiled widely but the expression did not reach his eyes. His blue gaze had a dangerous glint radiating from it. "So you've read the Jiu Yen Zhen Jing (9-Yin True Classic) - or at least, know some of the texts. Such powerful techniques, many consider it forbidden in this day and age. Your martial arts is excellent, certainly better than your partner's." She narrowed her eyes at him, not denying the observation at all. The woman didn't show any other outward expression as she gazed at her hands, not believing that her strike had missed. She whipped her head around when she heard her partner speak._

_"You are deserving of your titles, Massacre Man." The spear using man gritted out through his open wounds - and pointed his spear at the blonde with just a single arm. "We'll take your life here and now!" _

_"You Yami folk sure are dangerous. Who would have thought that the Yang Family would fall to the depths of darkness? Your ancestors were praised as Heroes, young man." _

_The opponent spat on the ground and took off his hat, revealing a handsome visage. "We were Heroes in an era of War! Nonetheless, how did you know? There are many others who claim to know our style...but they are just that, copies. Wretched thieves!" _

_Naruto shrugged. "I've met Grand Master Yang Zhuo. He is a great man and one of true honor. I'm curious youngster, who might you be?" The Yang's face indicated that he was somewhere past drinking age but under thirty. Twenty-seven was a good guess._

_"I am Yang Zhen. Yang Zhuo is...was my grand-uncle." He replied with a cold look. "He is nothing to me." _

_"Shame. Even in his old age, Zhuo is still a far superior warrior than you. I've not heard of a Yang that would charge so recklessly into a battle. Yang Yi and his sons are quite famous for being Master tacticians as well as fighters, you know."_

_"I don't care! For my honor, I will bring your head back to the base. And the Yang will be truly great once again!" He tried to move by force but the pain of Naruto's technique was too much for him to bare._

_"Husband." The woman dropped to the side and stopped him. She began bandaging his wounds, knowing their current enemy wouldn't do anything. "That is enough. We cannot defeat him today..." _

_"But-"_

_"No." She whispered into his ears. "You're life...is too important to throw away now, my love." _

_Naruto watched her calm him down with ease and smirked at the display. He then turned to leave, placing back on his straw-hat to cover his blond hair. "You are a lucky man, boy. She is very intelligent and powerful, more so than you I would say at the present. Consider yourself fortunate today, Yang Zhen, for I have given up on Satsujinken - I'm now on the side of Katsujinken. But before I leave..." He looked at the woman, who nodded. _

_"I am Huang Mai." She whispered. _

_"Another familiar name..." But for some reason, he could not find it in his heart to be surprised. She was descended from the Eastern Heretic after all. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. This is farewell."_

_"Where are you going?!" Yang Zhen asked loudly. _

_Naruto shook his head and didn't bother re-facing them._

_"I'm leaving of course. It is not in my interest to catch the eyes of 'One Shadow Nine Fist', Generals of the bare-handed sect of Yami, something I assume your wife would know. It is clear that you, Yang Zhen, are a member of the weapon's division. I admit, you are very strong but definitely not on our level. Go back to your uncle boy, your skills do not live up to the Legends of your ancestor's."_

_Yang Zhen seethed and along with his wife Huang Mai, they silently watched the Cloud Dragon Fist Master leave in the distance._

_"We'll meet again!" He vowed. _

* * *

END

Not sure how many people know of the famous 'Yang Family Spear' or the '9-Yin White Bone Claw' but...well, I did say that I'm stretching the horizons. Those two are made up characters that are recognizable by their family names to fit time slots. Huang Mai as you know, is descended from Huang Yaoshi and Huang Rong. Yang Zhen is descended from Yang Yi.

Character development chapter. Can't live without them. Next chapter will be 'Master Ma's motive' so we'll be returning to Yokohama. Yay?

Miu and Honoka have a different past but share similar feelings. That was the theme at the end.

Gedou, for those who haven't gotten far in Kenichi (I just caught up! I congratulated myself by writing this chapter) - is the unofficial third path between Katsujinken and Satsujinken. It means, the path of the demon...then again, Naruto fans should be familiar with the term but in different contexts.

This was CH64 solid. I didn't really go much farther than that this time. I also added a small Ogata cameo - he is a mountain sort of guy.

I hope that if any fan of 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' read the end, I hope you appreciated it. They will not be the only names you will see. I also added in a Yang Yi mention from the Generals story. I'm not completely familiar with everything (lets face it, Chinese stories are massive in continuity) but I'll do my best. I'm actually re-watching the 08 series and on episode 10 right now.

Long chapter. 7000 words - the longer the chapters, the more grammar mistakes I make. I had a hell of a time editing the chapter.

Anyway, have a nice day. I don't think I forgot anything.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**"Violent Situation"**

"Er...Honoka-san?" Naoki waddled up to the Ryouzanpaku group eagerly and looked at the youngest brunette, a childishly smile plastered on. "T-thanks for coming! You're welcome back anytime!" The boy flushed a bit when she smiled and was engulfed in a friendly hug.

The last two days were very slow but nice for Honoka. She only sparred once more with Naoki and that lasted just as long as it did the first time. Other then that, Naoki was just busy training with Kenichi and the resident Masters, taking up most of his time. After the first spar though - the boy one year her junior had taken a liking to her immensely. She suspected that it was because the boy lacked friends since he lived in the mountains - so perhaps, she was one of the first people his age to talk to.

"Yeah. No problem."

Kenichi narrowed his eyes at the boy. Sure, he and Naoki had begun to get along better during the training. Heck, they had developed a mutual respect for one another after the final spar leading to Kenichi's victory - but this was a different matter. He knew the tell-tale signs of a crush when he saw one. "Wat-"

"So cute!" Miu cut him off with a glare, making him flinch and look away casually. Honoka just snickered and nudged the blond girl, returning a small smile.

The two girls had developed an intangible sense of kinship over the trip. Honoka wasn't quite sure when it happened but the dynamics between the two shifted and Miu suddenly began treating her as if they were also siblings. For the moment, they had yet to spar - perhaps that would happen sometime in the future when circumstances fit.

"Well...I suppose it is time to go." Akisame nodded to the others and began their trip.

"Good luck in the future and always work hard." Taiki acknowledged Kenichi, who was still confused over the talent of 'hard work comment' they said he possessed. He thought it was a bit deplorable, something that made Honoka smack upside the head. 'A lot of people wish they had that talent!' she said.

"I wish you all well."

The group bowed collectively and left the mountains.

* * *

Yokohama

"Uncle." Renka shook the man awake, "Uncle! Wake up, customers are filing in!"

Hakubi opened his eyes and snapped up in his chair, startling the young girl, his grand-niece. He had stayed up late last night speaking to a very important informant of his from the Alliance. Apparently, Ma Sougetsu had appeared at Koryou and had dealings with the local mafia. Seriously, what was with this area and famous martial artists? Ryouzanpaku was already stationed here and now, the Fierce Fist God had made an appearance.

He blamed Furinji Hayato. The man attracted more trouble than all the Heroes of China put together.

"Is something troubling you, Uncle Hakubi?" Renka placed a gentle hand on his shoulders. The bald man only smiled and stood up - ruffling the girl's hair.

"I am well, my dear niece. Now - let's get to work, shall we?" The girl nodded and skipped out to begin taking orders.

Hakubi frowned as his thoughts stay on the topic of Sougetsu. The man, his nephew of sorts, was a very dangerous entity. If he was actually here, then nothing good could come out of it. Kensei had been broken when his older brother had been banished from the mainlands - it was not a good time for any of the family.

He only hoped that Kensei wouldn't do anything rash if he found out. When he found out.

The restaurant was beginning to get lively for lunch. Their restaurant served at long hours and provided all sorts of dishes - from soup, rice, fruit and every sort of delicacy. Their consistency and diversity was the reason for their fame in Yokohama Chinatown. There was no resident that failed to visit more than once a week.

A tap of glass caught his attention all of a sudden and his eyes met one of complete obsidian The customer was the very definition of what someone from the West would call, a 'hobo'. He had dirty brown clothes and ragged black hair - around his neck were red beads.

Hakubi immediately recognized him and walked over.

"May I help you, sir?"

The man's eyes closed as a smile tucked at his lips. "I have a message..." A letter slipped from his sleeves. Hakubi took it and read the words:

_Hakubi,_

_I found one of their bases. They are sending agents to Koryou - be on the look out. Tell _her. _I also have met up with Sect Leader. Also, be wary of Yami. They have recruited powerful young warriors. One knows of the Yang Spear and another uses Jiu Yin Bai Gu Zhao (9-Yin White Bone Claw), both are above average Master Class. They must be preparing for something. Just a thought._

_Take care of yourself, _

_- N._

The owner frowned very deeply. He knew of the styles that had been mentioned and was fully aware of how dangerous they could be as enemies. To regular fighters he meant, not Elite Masters like himself and Naruto. The Yang family was not without a history of great War heroes. _"Ryouzanpaku must be alerted. If Yami could sink their fangs into such powerful people, who knows what else they have up their sleeves." _

"Thank you. Your meal is on the house. Feel free to stay for a while, your journey must have been tough." The poor looking man inclined his head in thanks to Hakubi.

"Thank you."

* * *

Later

Honoka stretched her arms comfortably as she walked her way onto the train - getting prepared for another quick trip to Yokohama. It had been a week or so since she had visited her Uncle Hakubi. She was due another trip there - not to mention, there was always a chance that he had an open request she could take. The Phoenix Alliance had many capable fighters but Hakubi usually had one or two interesting jobs at hand. They were a very busy bunch.

As the brunette walked on, she noticed a familiar figure sitting on the far left bench. It was one of the Masters of Ryouzanpaku. "Oh! Kensei-san." She waved at the man. He tilted his head and signaled her over - the girl followed up quickly.

They quickly changed dialects upon meeting. It was an instinct for Honoka now.

"Honoka-chan." He grinned. "Are you also...?"

"Yeah. I'm going to go visit my Uncle Hakubi and have dinner." A faint sputtering caught her attention and she looked at the source, only to see air. Shaking her head, the girl looked back at the Master. "What about you?"

"You know Hakubi? How nice, I also call him my Uncle. Except, he is actually my real Uncle." The hat-wearing Master gestured for her to sit. He didn't really seem all too surprised about what she had just told him - his Uncle was well known in Chinatown. "I am also going to do other things as well. Do you go to Yokohama often?" Honoka confirmed with a nod.

"Yep! It's my type of place - very lively!" Kensei agreed. The place was very active and bustling. It had a very city-type of aura. "Do you visit often, Kensei-san?"

"Not really. I like the nice, quiet life of Koryou with the others. Yokohama reminds me of work! Bleh."

"That's understandable." She giggled.

The two sat in silence for a while before Honoka caught sight of a very familiar looking person standing faced away from them. The girl narrowed her eyes and nudged the Master. She subtly pointed at the suspicious person and caught a glint of exasperation in his eyes. They continued speaking in Chinese. "I think he's following us."

"Why doesn't he just come up to us?" Kensei mused. "Such a troublesome disciple." He sighed.

The two just ignored Kenichi for the moment and got off the train. "He's still following us. Want to play a prank?"

"What are you thinking?" The Chinese man asked curiously. Honoka just smirked and switched back to Japanese. She spoke loudly:

"Kensei-sama..." Her voice was incredibly coy, freezing Kenichi still who stood not far behind them. The young brunette grabbed the Master's arm with both of her's. "Where is this...'red light' place you're taking me too...?"

"WHAT?! M-M-MASTER MA! WHERE ARE YOU TAKING MY SISTER YOU BASTARD!?"

The two turned and saw a red faced Kenichi. Honoka promptly pointed at him and laughed while Kensei just shook his head in slight amusement. He wasn't THAT bad. "We are going to get dinner with my Uncle."

"T-then what ab-"

"Gotcha!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "That's your punishment for stalking people, you creep!"

Kenichi face-planted. "H-honoka! Don't say such distasteful jokes!" He screamed indignantly. The girl merely gave him the hand and said:

"Hmph! The only distasteful thing here is your T-shirt!" The boy suddenly felt self-conscious and grabbed his shirt to examine it.

The hat-wearing Master sighed, ending the short moment between the siblings. "Following me this time will be dangerous, Ken-chan. Please, return to Koryou."

"Absolutely not! Since I am a live-in disciple who shares a home, food and training with my Masters; I want to share their worries as well!" Honoka was a bit confused on the last one but smiled overall.

"Oh, you big lug of dignity you!" She affectionately punched him on the shoulders, drawing a small groan of pain. "My big brother is so cool!"

"Even I don't know what will happen. Are you certain that your decision is made?"

Kenichi nodded resolutely. "Yes."

"Very well, come along. As long as you are aware that you may die at any moment!"

"D-don't say such things, Master." He chuckled a bit. "Wait, if it's so dangerous, why is Honoka coming along?" Kensei couldn't help but be amused. His student still didn't see her own sister's skill level.

Honoka didn't seem to be offended. "I'm just going to have dinner with Uncle Hakubi then head home."

"Who is this Hakubi person anyway? I don't think we have an Uncle named that."

"You'll see. We're here." She pointed at the restaurant that was called 'Imperial Wrath'. "They have great food here. Especially the fujian."

The trio entered the building and was immediately met with Hakubi, who's usual smile widened upon seeing Kensei. "Oh, so you decided the time was ripe to see me."

"I've been neglecting to visit." Kensei bowed alongside Honoka. Kenichi pointed at him and asked:

"Who is this, a bald friend?"

Honoka smacked him upside the head. "Idiot! Don't be so rude. This is Uncle Hakubi, the kindest and most knowledgeable man in Yokohama Chinatown."

"She is right. Also, his real name is Ma Ryou."

Honoka turned to the elder, "I'm sorry about my brother. He's very honest and nice but a simpleton. Please forgive him." Hakubi just chuckled and waved it off.

"Sorry for calling you bald." He bowed.

"Don't worry about it. In China, all wise men eventually lose their hair! Hahahaha!" They shared an awkward chuckle at the expense of Kensei who lamented of his hair loss every single day. Oh, he used to be handsome.

"Now then, let's get a table."

They got one right under the second floor and near the stairs. The restaurant was nearly empty which was fairly strange - but not uncommon. "Now then, while the food is getting ready...let's chat!" Kensei smiled and the two elders caught up. Honoka was swinging her legs beneath the table, waiting for the food.

Kenichi looked down to his sister. "So, how do you know him?"

"My Master introduced me to Uncle Hakubi a long time ago." She had never, ever mentioned her trips to Yokohama - not wanting to worry the family about her independent streak. "He's a nice person. If you need something here, he will help you if he believes you are an honest person!"

"I see." Kenichi nodded in understanding. "W-wait, you have a Master? Who?"

The girl stiffened for a moment before coughing into her mouth. "Some guy. He's cool." She nudged the hat-wearing Master in hopes of changing the topic.

Fortunately, Hakubi had something. "I may have an idea of what you're here for. But first, I have something of interest to tell you." He spared a look to Kenichi, unsure of what to think. Kensei spoke up.

"My pupil insists on sharing our problems so he can be trusted. However-" He gave Kenichi a stern look, something that the disciple found rare. "-it cannot be spoken amongst your friends. Understood? Some things are just too dangerous to mention."

The boy nodded.

"I received a message from a...an old _friend-_" The restaurant owner gave Honoka a piercing glance. She widened her eyes by a fraction at the insinuation and gave him her undivided attention. "-he has found one of the enemy bases. They are sending agents here to Koryou."

The brunette beamed and clutched her skirt tightly to eliminate her shaking. Her Master was well! Oh, was she relieved to hear that.

But the last bit of information was very disconcerting.

"At the moment, he has met up with a Sect Leader to discuss these issues."

_"Sect Leader? I didn't know Master was affiliated with any of them." _They were organizations that were established all over the world. For the most part, a great many were located in the various lands of China. Even though the world couldn't see it due to media interference, China was divided into many inter-divisional factions called Sects. Their history went as far back as the days of the original Dynasties. Her Master had told her many stories and she learned of others from independent self-studies. Many of the information was held in her Master's old Library in his office - an office that now belonged to Haku.

"Interesting. If the Sects are getting involved, this must be a serious situation." Kensei observed seriously. As the leader of the Phoenix Alliance, he was familiar with all of the Sects and their leaders. He was friends with most of them and knew most of their surface martial arts.

"It is. You see...it concerns Konoha-" The girl narrowed her eyes, a glint of anger flashing briefly in them. She hated that name - they were the group who kidnapped Konohamaru and forced her Master onto a journey. "-and another group. You may know them as, 'Yami'."

Kensei gritted his teeth and nodded in understanding. It was clear that the man wanted to warn them of two great powers, the latter as the better of the two. He, being a high official in China, definitely knew of Konoha and their bloody demise at the hands of Uzumaki Naruto. He also heard of many rumors concerning their rebuilding, something that irked him greatly. If the two were to join forces, many problems would certainly arise.

Honoka herself was deep in thought. _"Master found one of Konoha's base and what he saw there was important enough to involve a Sect Leader. This...doesn't sound good at all!" _

"Apparently, he also got into a fight with two Master class fighters that was affiliated with Yami. One used a forbidden martial arts, the other was a member of the Yang Clan."

"The Yang? They are regarded as Heroes!" Kensei massaged his beard in worry. "This is outrageous! What does Yang Zhuo think of this?!"

"I sent him a message the other day. I will be sure to let you know of any developments." His Uncle confirmed. "But my friend believes that Yami is up to something. He believes that Yami's recruiting agents have begun to step up their game for some sort of event. I thought it wise to inform Ryouzanpaku."

"I will be sure to alert the Elder. He will determine our stance on this."

Kenichi couldn't stand being confused anymore. "What's going on?"

It was Honoka that answered for him. "Bad things, Ken'. Yami is very bad news, especially for us - followers of Katsujinken and order."

"You are more informed than I initially believed. That kind of worries me." Kensei frowned and looked at his Uncle. "We will speak of that later."

"Konoha is an organization of assassins who follow the killing fist...obviously." She felt dumb for repeating such points. "They have fallen in recent years due to an...incident."

_"Your Master." _The two Chinese men thought simultaneously.

"They are trouble, Ken'. If they are active, horrible things will happen."

The boy narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How do you know these things, Honoka?"

She feign coughed again. "O-oh, well, you should watch the news more!"

Hakubi laughed while Kensei just scoffed. _"Bullshit."_

Their food arrived after that and the group happily dug in. The tension had released a bit during their meal. That didn't last long though.

"I did not expect to hear such news during this visit." Kensei admitted. "I actually came here to ask you about something else."

"About Sougetsu, correct?"

"Has he really come to Japan?!" Hakubi confirmed with a incline of his head. "If this is true...I must meet him."

"Is this wise? I doubt that you will be able to get away with just meeting him. According to my sources, he is involved with the Mafia."

"Foo iv vis Foobefu (Who is this Sougetsu)?" Kenichi asked as he took another bite of rice.

Kensei sighed. "Ma Sougetsu. My long lost older brother."

"Brother?!" His disciple exclaimed. "You have a brother?"

"You're only worried about your brother?" A voice from above them spoke. When she heard the voice, a look of utter distaste crossed Honoka's face - it looked as if she had swallowed something too sour.

Hakubi had to hold himself from laughing at Kensei's sudden tense-ness. "Well...there was also another reason why I thought you might have come. I couldn't be too sure though."

Honoka watched as Ma Renka, the person also known as the skank to her, leaped from the second floor and directed a flying kick at their table. Sighing in exasperation, Honoka quickly grabbed the remaining good dishes and kicked herself away to avoid the incoming blow. _ "Skanks in heat, gotta hate them." _

Kensei had also dodged the blow. "I don't know who you are or where you're from, but you have nice muscles. However, you'll never kick me in a thousand years!"

Renka turned to face him, making Kensei blanch and gape in shock - alongside his student, Kenichi, who was as confused as ever.

"Why are you so shocked to see your daughter? Papa!"

"P-papa?!" Kenichi pointed at his Master. "Y-you mean like an escort?!" Kensei's eyes widened even further at the accusation.

Honoka however, fell to her knees and laughed to the point where she was banging her hands on the floor multiple times. "YEAH! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"You idiot! It's not like that at all! That's my daughter, Ma Renka!" He clarified for his student while Renka just continued to glare at Honoka, who was still laughing and tearing up.

"What?! You have a kid?!"

"In China, he also has a wife and two other children." Hakubi mentioned while Kensei merely confirming with a 'yes'.

"Shut up!" Renka yelled at Honoka. "I'll beat you up later! Wait a minute, you were acting familiar with him not too long ago! That means that you knew him!" She accused pointedly.

Honoka smirked and gave her the stink eye. "Yep! Duh, I've known where he was for months!"

"Then why didn't you tell me, you little worm!?"

"Because I think you're a skank and I don't like you! Hahahahahahahaha!" She dodged a flying plate that came flying with a smirk still plastered on her face.

"I'll get you for this!"

"Do...they know each other?" The hat-wearing man asked innocently. Hakubi nodded and said: "Rivals."

"Oh. That's cute."

"Mmhmm."

Re-focused on her goal, Renka turned her head to Kensei and launched a chain at him - wrapping around his left arm. "Anyway! You're going to come home tonight, Papa! I went as far as to become an exchange student here and when I heard you sometimes visited Hakubi, I took my chance! And now I've found you!"

"Kensei, you are in trouble now." Hakubi commented from the side.

"I've got you!" Renka exclaimed but it was in vain, as her father easily snapped the thin chain with his bare strength and used his disciple as a shield for the next one she threw. Kenichi suddenly found his neck wrapped in them. "Huh."

"Sorry. Bye." And with that, he made way for the exit at high speeds. Renka yelled angrily and ran after him. Somehow, Kenichi also managed to find himself getting involved.

Honoka just watched them go. She glanced between the door and then to her unfinished meal.

"...This is a tough choice."

"Hey, don't waste food. Your Master would scold you for that." Her Uncle directed lightly. She nodded in agreement and finished the food she had ordered. "Sorry about the mess." She bowed to him.

"Don't worry about it. Just get those two out of trouble, will you? Sougetsu is a very dangerous man. If they got involved..."

"I'll find them." She assured him and left to the back to change into her cloak.

It was time for Xinku to roam Chinatown.

* * *

With Renka

"Shirahama Kenichi?! Best student?!" Renka sputtered. _"This frail looking kid is Papa's best student? Wait, wait, wait...this guy is that little girl's older brother?! What the- maybe looks are decieving!"_

She punched him right in the gut. He couldn't dodge or block it in time, resulting in him collapsing to the floor comically.

_"He's weak! He must be lying!"_

"You're Papa's best student?! That's a lie! Oh what a sad fate! Papa who was extolled for being a supreme Master of Martial Arts is reduced to take this talent-less guy as his best student!"

"A-ah, sorry." He stood up immediately. Renka seemed a bit surprised, he had taken a clean hit after all.

"Wow, you're up already! At least you can take strong hits."

"A-ah well, Master did say that I had a talent for 'taking hits'!"

"That's no praise!"

Moments after, they were distracted by the sound of conflict just down their street. A shop owner had been thrown out onto the ground roughly by two thugs. "Oi! The money, where is it?! What's your excuse?"

"We're not paying up to you Mafia anymore! We're cutting you off! Hakubi has called everyone together, I'm not the only one who won't pay!"

"Hakubi? Wait, what are they talking about?" Kenichi asked.

"They're the Chinese Mafia. It seems lately that they've been very active and the worst kind have been arriving here from the Mainland. They're dividing the area!"

The bigger of the two thugs grew impatient and grabbed the shop owners. "How brave. Old man 'Uncle' Hakubi is also a fool for opposing us!" The thug the man threw up high in the air and he would have landed on his head had Kenichi not catch him cleanly.

"Hey, are you OK?" The shop owner nodded quickly. This did not escape the attention of the thugs.

"Who the hell are you?" He seemed confident and incredibly annoyed, something that intimidated Kenichi. But not Renka.

"J-just passerby's. Bye!"

"You dare insult Uncle Hakubi. Also, only relatives can call him Uncle - and that silly girl I guess - anyway, I'll give you FIVE seconds to disappear..." She calmly said and held out her fingers.

"Dumb girl. A relative? Well, well...they seem to be everywhere I guess."

"Five...four...three...two...one..."

"W-wait, Renka-san."

"Take her out!" The smaller of the two thugs commanded. The big one stepped in and launched a punch at her face.

"Zero!" She deflected the punch with a well timed Kakei and used her other arm to land fast punches to his gut. "You were so slow that I punched you three times."

_"Incredible! Then again, she is Master Ma's daughter."_

Kenichi grimaced when he saw the other one draw a sword-belt. He immediately stepped in front of the man - gripped his arm, got behind his back and threw him to the floor. Renka looked briefly surprised.

"T-thank you, Renka, boy." They nodded and the owner shooed away the crowd.

"Hold up, that wasn't a Chinese throw. What move was that?"

The brown haired boy shrugged. "It was Japanese Jiujitsu. Besides Master Ma's Chinese Kempo, I'm also studying Jiujitsu, Karate and Muay Thai." He listed off nonchalantly.

"What the- You're just studying Chinese Kempo part-time?! How rude! One's not enough for you?!" Kenichi shivered and waved his hands back and forth indicating that his circumstances did not involve selfishness.

"Well for the moment, I guess I should thank you for taking that punk out over there."

Said punk spat next to her feet, still downed. "Just you wait, wait till I get back to Sougetsu! He'll crush you like an ant!"

Renka narrowed her eyes before a mischievous look crossed them. The girl turned and marched to the downed man with a dark smile. "You're going to tell us where Ma Sougetsu is!"

The guy looked like he soiled himself and immediately spilled the beans.

"W-wait, aren't we looking for Master Ma?!"

Renka scoffed. "Well duh, he's obviously looking for Sougetsu so we'll get there first and meet him!"

He seemed hesitant for a moment.

"Look, Uncle Sougetsu is a Master of the 'Hard Fist' aspect of Chinese Quan Fa while Papa is a Master of the 'Gentle Fist' aspect. Sougetsu also follows the way of Satsujinken while Papa is also the opposite! People in China still have a difficult time wondering who is the better fighter."

"Killing Fist?" That was a very serious topic for Kenichi. "He does that huh?"

"Yes. If he is, do you still want to tag along? We're about to enter a world where even 'Heroes' tread fearfully. It's a completely different world from your school life and bliss! Take one wrong step, and you WILL die."

"If I say no, will you keep going?" She confirmed his question in the positive. "Well then, I will go too. I can't let a girl go into such a dangerous place alone!"

Renka seemed taken back by the comment. Even though she knew he was an inferior fighter, those words did hold strong meaning. "Idiot. Don't try to be a hero! I'm telling you that with your skills, you'll just be in my way!"

_"Papa sure picked a strange student!"_

She didn't know how to really feel about it. While completely inferior in skill to both her - and not to mention his younger sister - the boy was still willing to go through with the plan. He was completely aware that she was the better fighter of the two, the blue haired girl could see it in his eyes. He was absolutely terrified of what they were getting into.

But he was still moving forward.

Renka would have to talk to the silly girl later. Maybe she could clear up her thoughts.

It was only twenty minutes later when they arrived at the building where Ma Sougetsu was located.

"If your Uncle Sougetsu is actually in there, then maybe we could talk him out of doing all of this."

The girl next to him scoffed. "You mean peacefully? Fine. I doubt it will work though." Kenichi scratched his head and tried to steel his nerves.

They immediately walked in and saw five guards. Without a word, they were attacked from all sides. With instincts built from doing missions for the Alliance, Renka got into a fighting stance and kicked two of them back at high speeds while simultaneously back-fisting another. Kenichi dodged one attack meekly and hesitantly punched his opening, sending the thug into the wall. By the time he turned, Renka had already brutalized the fifth thug and kicked him through the door.

"Er...peacefully, peacefully!"

Renka merely rolled her eyes. "Come on, the elevator is this way."

As soon as they dropped off on the fifth floor, a sense of danger lingered about the air. The girl tucked in her lips like a grimace and walked on. "To be in cahoots with the Mafia - Uncle Sougetsu is an absolute disgrace to the Ma family!"

And as if a light-bulb had been lit on her head, she felt an immense ki move towards them. "Get back!" She pushed the boy back and they narrowly avoided a large fist coming through the wall. Kenichi looked to the source - seeing a tall and very muscular middle-aged man with short black hair and a thick beard. The man wore an open vest, dark pants and carried a gourd on his waistband.

"You!" Renka spat as memories of a strict, apathetic man came to her. "Ma Sougetsu! Disgrace to the family!"

"...I thought for sure that it was Kensei's aura. Somehow, I mistook him for a girl." He mused, ignoring her loud accusations. "Not too surprising. He was always a feminine one. Well...guess I'd better move on then."

"Hold on!" Renka immediately dashed at full speed and launched a flying drill kick. "Ma Style: Senkyuu (Piercing Bow Flying Kick)!"

"No! Don't, Renka!"

Without even looking back, Sougetsu grabbed her feet with ease and slammed her against the wall. "Guh!" She spat out blood from her mouth and on to the man's wrists.

"Stop it! She's your brother's daughter! Your own niece!"

Sougetsu did not miss a beat in his reply. "She dared to raise a fist at me despite being utterly outclassed. Even though she is a child, she is a martial artist as well!" That was his logic. "As far as I'm concerned, I have no blood relatives."

Just as he said this, a black shadow appeared beside his arm - the one holding Renka loosely - in a gliding-like motion and kicked him in the waist. He didn't even register the blow but carelessly dropped the girl anyway. The dark figure caught Renka and glided back to get beside Kenichi. "Got lucky there." The distorted voice muttered. "I can't believe I actually got you."

Kenichi widened his eyes at the sudden appearance of the masked fighter. "Xinku?! What are you doing here?" Honoka ignored him completely, preferring to not let her guard down.

"I was looking at your feet." Sougetsu admitted and took a drink from his gourd. "It's not everyday that you get to see Shé Jiao Dian (The Serpent Glides) in Japan. To think a brat like you knows such advanced steps - your teacher can only be a few men."

Renka looked up and saw the masked figure. "Hmph, fine - I won't say anything." Honoka smiled under her mask but kept eyes on the Master before them.

"Why did you attack? You knew he could have killed you there, right?"

The elder girl scoffed and spat out more blood. "None of your concern." She tightened her fist. "We can't just let him leave."

"Still as stupid and stubborn as ever." Honoka sighed. "Ma Sougetsu, I kindly ask that you leave these idiots in peace."

"Like I said before, I'm not having that. The only reason you got her the first time was because I didn't sense any killer intent from you. Your crossing Glide steps are good for sneaking about but you cannot escape me now, masked-girl." He took another gulp from his gourd. "I think I'll kill you all here and now."

He took a step forward. Honoka was absolutely baffled when she felt his fighting spirit alone. It was painfully obvious that the man completely outclassed them by a hundred-fold - even Renka and Kenichi who had been quiet all this time were stiff before him.

"Not today!" Another figure shot through the window, shattering the glass, and launched a dozen kicks at supremely high speeds. By the time Honoka had realized the glass had broke, Sougetsu had already stepped back from Kensei.

"Finally arrived, have you?" Sougetsu muttered, eyeing his long lost younger brother. "Ma Kensei."

"Brother, you are still living like this?" It was a rhetoric question.

"Finally...I can settle matters with you." Was his only reply.

"Kenichi...er, masked person - could you two take Renka and leave this place? It's gonna get quite messy." Kensei told them and walked up to his brother.

They clasped their own hands, their right over their left - a signal of a death match.

"Master, brothers killing each other is wrong!"

Even though Honoka felt the same way, she didn't dare voice it. The situation was long out of their control. Before she could suggest their escape, Sougetsu launched his first attack - a punch that was nearly impossible for any of the disciples to follow. Kensei easily misdirected it to the edge - the impact power so great that the air had been pushed back and destroyed the surrounding windows.

_"What strength!" _Honoka gritted her teeth and covered herself to brace the wind the single punch caused. _"These people stand on the Level of my Master?!" _

Without looking back to check their safety, Kensei also went on the offensive and began wall-hopping around - raining down spear handed strikes at Sougetsu - all of which were blocked casually with his own spear hands. The battle went on like this until the two reached the edge of the building. The impacts of their attacks were causing breaks and cracks into the walls even on the other side of the building. The disciples had never seen something as incredible as this before now; the fists of the Masters literally caused vibrations in the air around them - shaking the grounds. "What immense power..."

She didn't even notice Kenichi carrying Renka to follow the two until it was too late. "Idiots! Damn it, how could I let myself get distracted so easily!" Honoka ran after them but stopped at the sight of Sougetsu looking as if he were pushing back his brother. However, those with a good eye could see that the smaller man was using Kakei to deflect all of the deadly punches away softly.

It was clear that even one clean blow from Sougetsu would end the match, whether it was a jab or a kick, they were all one-hit certain kills. The brunette now realized how lucky Renka had been earlier. The elder man didn't even bother using his full strength.

But now he was. Against another great opponent.

"Hmph, your skills haven't deterred one bit! Brother!"

"We've both been training, I see." Kensei replied and hopped to the ceiling to use a palm strike to counter his punch. Despite stopping the blow from inflicting him, the wall behind the small man still showed signs of being cracked - a true testament of Sougetsu's pure strength.

He flipped to another corner and launched from the side to strike at his brother - but Sougetsu caught on and launched an extremely high powered no-look palm strike in his direction. "Wu Long Pan Da (Black Dragon Smash)!" Kensei grimaced and took the blow head on with both hands across his chest.

"Master!" Kenichi yelled in fright. "He got hit!"

"Tch." Sougetsu looked at his hands while keeping a stance. "Your inner strength is incredible as always - to have advanced enough to transfer away the power of my attack into nothing. Did you even feel that?" His brother had flipped back onto the room's corner, using both feet to hold himself on the wall while holding both arms to guard.

"Kind of." Kensei grinned back and licked the blood that spilled from his mouth. "Not bad at all."

"Time to finish this!"

In that instant, the building abruptly exploded into fire. Kensei and Sougetsu narrowed their eyes and immediately glanced to the window. "Tch. I see I've been betrayed." Kensei's footing was lost as the wall he kept footing collapsed. "This is the end! An opening!" He stepped forward and put all of his strength into the punch. "Kempo is a weapon for efficiently destroying your opponent, Kensei! It's pure power!"

Like before, Kensei took it head on but this time - as the punch struck him, he allowed his body to move with the flow and his upper body was now positioned to strike Sougetsu openly. "Sei Shin Suikyou Shou (Penetrating Water Surface Palm)!" The younger brother landed four ki-enhanced palm strikes on Sougetsu, forcing him back and coughing up blood into his hand. Kensei also spat out some red, having not been able to escape the full blow of Sougetsu's punch.

"I have overwhelmed you with your own power, brother!" The hat-wearing Master said through his bleeding mouth. "Weapons don't kill people, it is the people that wield it that do so!"

The once unstoppable looking man, Honoka noticed with shock, now looked pitiful and beaten. "Why have your skills improved so much? Why? What is the difference between us!?"

"I have comrades - no, friends that I train with everyday! You have always been alone, Sougetsu! That's the difference."

_"Friends?!" _He mentally groused. "I have no such things." Sougetsu looked towards his brother's student and daughter, both of whom were yelling for Kensei to get out of the fire. "As always, everyone around us are your friends. Even though we had the same strength, I was feared while you were respected! I...didn't leave China because I killed a man, from the very beginning, I had no life there!"

"Brother..."

The fire was raging now. It had begun to rise above the grounds they were on and engulfed anything it touched.

"Go, Kensei. For a Martial Artist, defeat is death!"

They shared one last stare down before the younger of the two nodded.

"Very well. We're going." He looked at the three who didn't even bother listening to his request to run. Had they gone, the battle would have escalated even further to the point where multiple buildings would have been destroyed - but something like that would have killed the children who were in the crossfire. Sougetsu also condensed his strength to fight in small spaces for them. Perhaps, there was a little humanity left in him after all.

"Y-you're just gonna leave him?!"

"If I go near him now, he will take him own life. At least, I want him to die the way he lived - as a Martial Artist."

Kenichi didn't understand those sentiments but promptly followed Kensei into the elevator. _"Is this what the Martial Arts world is really like?"_

"Hurry!"

Kenichi got into the elevator but just as it was closing, he caught the sight of Sougetsu drinking one last gulp of sake and changed his mind. He stopped the elevator with both arms. "This is wrong! I cannot permit this sort of farewell between brothers!" Leaping from the elevator, the disciple ran towards the former enemy to offer a hand.

"That fool!" Renka moved to keep the elevator open. Kensei merely watched in silence.

Seeing the offered hand, Sougetsu just glanced at him apathetically and threw the boy back into the elevator with a single arm. "Heh. I see that you are also training a weird pupil, Kensei." The doors closed and Sougetsu closed his eyes from the fire.

"Urgh!" Kenichi rubbed his back and frowned when his offer was denied. But as he was about to voice this, he noticed the presence of another missing. "H-hey wait, where's Xinku?!"

"Oh?" Kensei shrugged. "She jumped out the window as soon as the battle ended. I wonder why we didn't think of doing that."

Renka just grabbed her stomach in pain. "Hmph."

* * *

Nearby Building

From the roof of another tall building in Yokohama, Honoka removed her mask to gain some fresh air while she looked down to the burning building. "Tch. What a fight...so that's a battle between Masters..."

It was an absolutely incredible fight. She couldn't even do half the things they did - speed, technique or power-wise. It was becoming quite clear that Honoka would have to increase her training to even think of standing next to people like them.

"So that's what you look like behind the mask." A gruff voice mused from beside her. She tensed and glided backwards to gain distance. The man merely made a noise of amusement and took another drink from his gourd. "Relax. I won't kill you if you don't tell anyone about my survival. In exchange, I will not say of anything I will have learned of tonight."

Honoka gritted her teeth. "Fine. What are you doing here anyway? If you didn't want anyone to know you're alive, you could have left without me knowing easily!"

"I'm curious."

He walked forward and immediately launched a punch at her - one that she could follow - followed by some kicks. To Sougetsu, he felt as if he was moving in slow motion but Honoka thought differently, she had to use all of her speed to dodge each attack. "Come on, fight back!" He growled and stepped up a level.

Honoka frowned and entered her primary stance. The Cloud Dragon form consisted of her standing slightly crouched with one arm outstretched as a claw and the other held in front of her face in a spear.

Sougetsu narrowed his eyes. "Just who are you?"

The girl rushed him at high speeds but Sougetsu did not falter. He blocked all of her palm strikes with speed alone, disregarding the need to telegraph. Honoka then answered:

"I am Xink-"

"Don't give me that bullshit. What is your name? Tell me before I kill you."

If that wasn't a convincing argument, then she didn't know what was. The girl doubted she could get away with a lie either.

"Shirahama Honoka."

The man was not satisfied. "Hm...Hong Lu-Quan doesn't have any disciples by that name and Guo Zhi Long does not teach that stance. That can only mean one thing." A fierce smile curled on his lips. "So he has returned, has he? One of the few Japanese men that the Chinese tell horror stories about to their children: Uzumaki Naruto, the Hero of the Killing Fist."

"He's not a killer anymore!" She snapped at him angrily. "He's a good man! Don't you dare speak ill of him!"

"I am not speaking ill of him. They are just facts." He chuckled and took another drink from his gourd. "Your Master was a killing machine back in the days before he turned to Katsujinken, girl. I just have to wonder..." He jumped away but not before letting his final words ring.

"I wonder what path you will choose...in the end?"

* * *

_Chronicles of Uzumaki Naruto - 5_

_"Where are you going to go now?" A shadowed figure asked from above him while resting on a tree comfortably. _

_Naruto scratched his chin in thought as he collected his bags. "I suppose I will be heading West this time. My Godfather may know of some things." He replied curtly. "Thank you for your help, Chief." _

_He looked back up to the tree to see that the man had disappeared. "I see that being a top class Martial Artist doesn't instill class into some people." The blonde muttered and left to continue his journey. He had found a Konoha base and found startling information about cohesive operations between them, Yami and other villainous groups who had similar agendas. It was all very worrisome._

_As he crossed the Western plains, he found himself wandering into a random village. "Excuse me ma'm, I was wondering where the food merchant is?" _

_The woman - who had the biggest frowny face he had ever seen - pointed down the street. "Thank you."_

_There was something off about the place, he realized. The people were generally unhappy and the children lacked energy - something that rang alarm bells in his head. Just as he was buying some fruit, a booming voice came from the entrance of the town. It was a small man riding a large contraption - something that looked like a tank - and another humongous person next to him spoke through a voice enhancer. "Gato-sama has arrived to collect the monthly payment."_

_The merchant Naruto had been talking to shivered in fear. "Are you alright?" Naruto asked him. The person shook his head and turned to look away. "Who is that?" _

_"Fool! That's Gato of Mishima Zaibatsu!" The woman he had questioned from before shushed him. "You'll get in trouble if you talk too loud. Be quiet." Naruto couldn't help but notice she was loud herself. Shrugging, Naruto just collected his rations and went to go sit down by a nearby table to eat. _

_He was quietly watching the townsfolk surrender all of their profit with a frown. "What the hell is going on here?" As a martial artist who was well-versed in the Underworld, he knew of the terrible ways of Mishima Zaibatsu. They were one of the more openly known mercenary corporations Despite being known - the organization was incredibly evasive - not to mention that apparently, their reach went as far as small towns in China._

_Had they been growing in power all this time?_

_The blonde didn't even notice when a tall man stood in front of him. He was too deep in thought. "Sir, please vacate this table. Gato-sama wishes to sit here." _

_Naruto didn't acknowledge him, irking the two a bit. "Sir, once again, please leave. Gato-sama owns this place. If you don't leave, I must remove you." _

_He was still ignored. Gato laughed all of a sudden and pointed at him. "Look, look! A rebel! How interesting." The short stubby man waved his arms around to gather the attention of the townspeople. "I want to show you all what happens to rebels around here! Jack, punish him for his insolence!"_

_"That idiot!" The woman from before screamed. "Run!" _

_Jack, as Gato called him, obeyed the command robotically and launched a punch at Naruto. The blonde merely stopped it with a finger before taking another bite of the fruit he bought. "Hasn't anyone ever told you that attacking a man during a meal is rude?" He spoke in between bites. "Your punch did not have any wasteful movements but your skill is average at best." _

_Jack did not answer, preferring to launch another onslaught of punches that were pushed back by fingers. "Just what are you?" Naruto asked._

_Gato, who thought the man was losing since he had yet to attack, got arrogant and began boasting. "Jack is a cyborg developed by Mishima Zaibatsu! We have an army of them. Anyone who stands against us will be crushed!" _

_"A cyborg? I didn't realize technology was so advanced now-a-days..." Naruto replied nonchalantly. "Nonetheless, I'm going to end this." _

_"What do you mean?! Jack is too strong for you to handle! You're going to die a most painful death!" _

_Naruto just smiled, walked a fair distance away and re-positioned his straw-hat ominously to look at the cyborg. Jack ran at him to engage in another bout. "I have already determined your weakness, Jack-kun. You see, there is a weakness that you have that is easy to identify." He closed his eyes and dodged the array of punches without effort. _

_"From what I see, the movements are perfect. Too perfect - so perfect that I can predict them without even looking. It seems that robots move in a strict pattern that is very easy to telegraph. As long as I know your full speed and strength, I can do as I please. You may think it is good to move without wasting any movements but being too perfect is also a weakness. It doesn't matter how well developed robots are, they are programmed to move in singular ways." He rose a single finger from his left hand and pierced right into Jack's body a several times without effort. _

_"Leiji Zhipao (Lightning Finger Gun)." The damage inflicted was enough to shut down the opponent's body. _

_"W-what just happened?!" Gato fell to his rear, completely shocked by the defeat of his bodyguard. "J-jack?!"_

_"Don't worry, I instinctively held back any killing blows - he looks too human for my tastes." Naruto scoffed and walked up to the short man. "You will leave this village alone."_

_"And w-why is that!?" Gato tried to feign courage but it was easily seen through. _

_Naruto's eyes glinted mischievously under his hat. "You don't understand do you? China has many Heroes who are willing to take down this 'army' of machines your company has. They are nothing to real fighters." He stood abruptly and turned to leave the village. _

_And that was the day the village had celebrated the end of their suffering. _

_Naruto's performance that day would inspire them all to practice martial arts and that same village would soon generate great fighters of their own for years to come._

* * *

END

Poor Jack. Sorry Jack fans, he's just not on the level. Concerning him in this story, he's a (severely and utterly) under-powered version of Bartholomew Kuma from One Piece. He's just a robot. If he even makes it to my final script.

If you don't know who or what the Mishima Zaibatsu is, then...well, I don't know what to say. The game isn't exactly one for story for most people actually so I wouldn't be surprised. I don't think they'll be a huge part in this story, just a side villain - maybe. The main antagonist is still the same as canon.

Kensei vs. Sougetsu. I tried my best to describe it as an epic battle but to be honest, I just wanted to follow canon mostly for now. I did add things here and there to make the fight seem like Apachai vs. Agaard (WHICH WAS EPIC!). That fight is going to be tough to write for me. It was just too epic. Maybe I'll just tell you guys to read the manga for that one. That is beyond my skills of describing. Luckily, it is far in the future.

As many of you have now seen, this is not just a Naruto and Kenichi crossover. This story as I planned from the very beginning, is a multi-genre crossover that includes several series. Whether it is from the Wuxia-verse, games or anime/manga - I'm putting it in.

The martial arts world is HUGE. That's the point.

So, here is my new, updated disclaimer:

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO, KENICHI, STREET FIGHTER, LEGEND OF THE CONDOR HEROES, TEKKEN, RUROUNI KENSHIN AND MANY OTHER THINGS THAT WILL SOON BE MENTIONED. I DO OWN CLOUD DRAGON FIST...well actually, I technically don't since it is a mash-up of other styles - BUT OTHER THAN THAT, I DO NOT OWN IT!

As many may see, Wuxia elements are now involved in this story. Ki, inner strength and martial arts. And for those asking, I kindly referenced a certain skill that you've been talking about. Beggars is the key word.

***Also, there is something that desperately needs to be addressed. Look, my readers, not all of the guest characters crossing over will feature in the story. That would be too much to write. I do that for fun, they are just to amuse people on a whim. Sure, some may appear but not all of them. The story follows the same line as Kenichi but will deviate once I get to the planning point. That's how it will work.

If many people think I'm making fun of Kenichi, I'm really not. That's his strength level and beliefs in canon. I'm also mentioning Yami a bit earlier this time.

Also, if you guys need a complete list of moves for Honoka...I'll do it if you want. Only the ones that have been mentioned. As you can see, she has a vast array of moves like the current Kenichi.

EDIT: A reviewer (Thanathos) - kindly pointed out that a cyborg is technically part human. Since I am not well-versed in the differences between a robot and a cyborg, I did not know this at all. So I thank him. Now, Naruto did not just kill a part human accidentally. Although, it does sound like something he would do.

Have a nice day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**"A Visitor"**

Natsu Tanimoto expertly held back his scowl when a group of thugs - from his own gang, nonetheless - surrounded him with arrogant smirks plastered on their faces. He really, really needed to talk to Odin about the behavior of the lower peasants that used their name to do as they pleased around town. Not only were they weak, they were also cocky punks who he saw causing trouble all over town. If there was one thing he hated, it was bullies. Then again, he hated a lot of things.

But bullies reminded him of the past too much.

"Well, well..." There were only four at the moment. Natsu was sure that they couldn't do any damage to him. "Hey, guy."

"Yes?" Natsu put on his 'innocent yet cautious' mask. "What do you want with me?"

"See here, I'm a member of Ragnarok...and around here, we're King. Understand...?"

Natsu just gave him a blank stare, thinking along the lines of: _"What an idiot."_

The lead member took out a hidden knife and smiled arrogantly. "Name's Urugawa Takeshi! Give me what you have!" When Natsu didn't move, the punk rushed at him with a knife flipped open and aimed at his chest.

The blonde actor was very much tempted to lay the fool out and turn him into a pin-cushion - but doing so would produce way too much suspicion on his true identity, something that he truly wanted to avoid.

That was his dilemma. Even though he knew how to fake a beating, his Master would definitely spit on him for it. Natsu could almost hear the condescending tone of Sougetsu's voice in his imagination, "It doesn't matter if you were faking a beating boy, you were defeated. Now go climb that mountain with one arm tied behind your back as punishment, you loser."

Never again.

_"They're so slow. Good, I'll lure them into the alley." _

But as luck would have it, someone stepped in and stopped the attack - a girl who stood at least one head below him had grabbed the attacker's wrist.

Honoka was severely annoyed but she did not care to share it on her face. Not only was her self-given day-off from gang hunting interrupted, her brother had somehow gotten lost during their sibling shopping time. How could someone get lost in your own home town? The mere thought of that baffled her completely. On her search for the elder of the two, she reacted by instinct when a few gang members were picking on one fairly good-looking boy. So much for a day-off. Not to mention, said fairly good-looking boy had the exact same build, height and demeanor as a certain member of Ragnarok she remembered. On the bright side, seeing him completely surrounded by other members of his own gang - well, it was too interesting to ignore.

"Oh sorry!" She feigned a convincing squeal, her hand still tightly gripping the gangster's wrist. "I really, really liked your wrist-band and I just had to get a closer look?! What kind of material is that?"

"Urgh!" Takeshi grimaced, "L-let go of my hand!"

"Huh? What's wrong?" Honoka replied innocently, blinking twice. "A-am I hurting you?"

The others behind the knife-holding boy laughed. "What a joke. A girl's grip is hurting you? Pathetic!"

"S-she's strong!" He almost screamed out when Honoka tightened it even further. While strength was not her strong point, she had more than enough to cause fair pain against a fodder gangster. "S-shit, let go!"

"What a wuss!" A large boy chortled loudly among the others. "How can you call yourself a man?!"

Takeshi's face was turning absolutely crimson at the humiliation he was suffering. Honoka merely smiled and let it go before turning around to seemingly leave. However, the embarrassed boy turned back to her - red in the face - and went for an angry stab. When he got the knife an inch close to her back shoulder, the girl disappeared from his view entirely.

"Ooooh! Somebody dropped some yen! I should probably look for the owner." Takeshi looked down and found that his chin was positioned right above the tip of her head. In one swift movement, she stood abruptly and knocked the boy back in what seemed like an accident to the regular eye.

But Natsu Tanimoto knew differently. _"Her innocent facade is definitely fabricated. Who is she?" _

"Idol-san, aren't you gonna participate?" The young brunette scratched the side of her head with a knowing glint in her eyes. "I mean, you're not gonna let a pretty girl like me fight them alone, right?"

Hermit sighed. "Fine." He lifted his finger and pointed at the other members, a couple more had noticeably joined in after the brief scuffle. "Come on, let's settle this in that alley over there." The student actor pointed behind a certain ramen shop.

"W-what?"

Natsu just ignored them and walked side-by-side with the brunette - who still kept her innocent mask on. She even took out an array of weird candies to chew on while looking completely harmless. The Ragnarok lower-members, having no idea just what they were in for, ignorantly walked in and got the beating of a life-time handed to them.

It lasted for two minutes.

The girl walked out first and stretched comfortably. "Sheesh, I wouldn't have bothered helping out had I known you were a decent fighter. You're not bad at all, pretty boy!" Honoka teased and nudged his sides, eliciting a grunt of annoyance. "Hey, don't be like that...Oh wow, is that an injury on your hand? Pathetic!"

Natsu scoffed. "This happened before those idiots got here. It's from training." For some reason, her taunts riled him up enough to make him answer.

"...Sure it did." Was her unconvinced reply, "Look, there's nothing wrong with admitting that you're a bit on the slow side."

"I'm not slow!" He growled at her. _"Wait, why am I having this conversation? She knows nothing about me!" _

"And look at that, blood is seeping out from your wound because you applied too much pressure chopping people back there! You didn't even bother bandaging it correctly." The brunette shook her head in exasperation. "Boys these days just can't take care of themselves. Alright, I guess I'll have to show you how it's done."

"What? No, go home! I don't know who you are bu-" His arm was suddenly grabbed and she ran down the alley, "Where are you going? And let go of my arm!"

"Look, I don't have any bandages so we're gonna have to go buy some."

The blonde scoffed and released himself from her grip. "Tch. I'm outta here." He slipped into another nearby alley and proceeded to jump to the roof - hoping that he lost the crazy teenager he had just met. Despite his grudging attempts to get the girl out of his mind, one single thought plagued him for the rest of the way back.

_"Why does she seem familiar?"_

* * *

Ragnarok Base

A huge yawn erupted from the red-head's mouth as she watched - with absolute boredom in her eyes - the weaker members of their gang fight to prove themselves in front of the other Ragnarok fists. Why Odin called her - and not to mention the others - for such a lame activity annoyed the young fighter greatly. She had been in the middle of her new training regime when the summons was issued.

Oddly enough, one of her comrades agreed but unlike Kisara, he voiced it. "Odin, tell us again why you brought us here?" Loki drawled while he laid on his side. "I have many things to take care of. Can't the others take care of this without you?"

"Aaaaah - Lalalalalala ~..." A tall boy suddenly erupted musically. He kept long grey hair down to his waist with locks in the front down to his shoulders - and wore a dark red coat with a hat with a feather on top to match with dark boots and pants.

Kisara sighed at the sight. _"Here we go with the spinning..."_

And like she thought, the boy began spinning pirouette-style with his arms held diagonally in a y-shape. "We are here to determine a new comrade! Aaaah-lalalalalalalaaaa! Ever since Hermit-kun disappeared after fighting Shirahama!"

_"Why do these people have to be so damn weird!" _

"Siegfried is correct, Loki. Do not questions your orders." A dark-skinned girl muttered in a monotone voice. "Just be silent and keep an eye out for anyone worthy of the seat of Ragnarok's Sixth Fist."

"Heh!" Kisara suddenly smirked. "That's what we're here for? I should have listened earlier. I know someone who can do it!"

Odin merely gave her a short glance. "Oh? I'm interested, Valkyrie, what are you saying?"

The others looked to her. "I freshly recruited someone about a month ago who can totally own these chumps we're watching!" Said chumps just gave her an annoyed look but were too scared to voice their opinion.

"And who is it?"

Kisara glanced at her watch. "His name's Kakashi. Silver-hair, spiked up like what most Korean Pop-stars do, except his is natural. Always seems bored and has a hand-held in his hands all the time."

"Oh! I know that kid you're talking about!" Loki chuckled out loud. "He doesn't look like much from what I saw when I visited your base. You're saying that kid can take on one of us?"

"Yep!" She replied confidently before pointing at him. "He can easily defeat you, Loki."

The Fourth Fist of Ragnarok suddenly stopped his chuckling and a tense silence stirred. The rest of the elites merely glanced at their latest member with a curious look. Freya spoke first. "You seem...confident in this 'Kakashi' boy. Have you seen him fight?"

"He's definitely better than Loki." Her taunt furthered, making her technical superior grit his teeth slightly. "I bet Kakashi could even crush him in under a minute."

"Do you even hear the bullshit that's spewing from your mouth, Valkyrie?" Loki scoffed at her statement. "You think some stupid kid can beat me?"

"I don't think so, Loki. I know so."

"Interesting." Odin smiled and crossed his palms together, "Call him here then, Valkyrie. I wish to...test his capacity."

Kisara nodded. "I told him to bring over some pizza a while back. He'll be here..." A short figure walked in right when she said that. "Speak of the devil."

"Hm?" The lazy looking boy tilted his head when he saw the Fists looking at him. "Here." He handed the girl the box of pizza.

She smiled and patted him on the head, but stopped when he didn't bother reacting to the affectionate move. "Alright, alright. Since you were only an hour late, I'll let you play the new Virtua Fighter that came out when we get back to base." He only nodded and moved to leave.

"Wait." Odin spoke out. "Kakashi-kun, is it?"

The boy stopped abruptly, paused for a second, and then turned around. He inclined his head ever so slightly - barely acknowledging Odin as a superior and looked him right in the eye. The leader didn't really seem to mind his disrespect, nor did the others. Thor himself already seemed impressed by the kid's guts.

"Valkyrie has just recently nominated you as a potential candidate for Sixth Fist." Freya announced before gathering the attention of the other fighters. "The rest of you all can leave."

"What?!" A large boy shouted back. "We've been here all day fightin' for the spot and you told us to leave just because that bitch over there said this kid had a little somethin?!"

Kisara narrowed her eyes at the random flunky. "And who the hell do you think you are to talk to us like that, fodder?!"

"Oi, Odin! After I kill this runt, I can have the seat right?!" Another large teenager exclaimed from the side. "Since you all think he's so good on some bullshit here-say! Why don't I test him?"

"I agree." Loki voiced suddenly. "There's no way that kid can be a Fist. Valkyrie is full of bullshit."

Odin assessed the situation calmly while playing with the glasses on his face. The others seemed severely riled up. _"Hm. Maybe I can use this to my advantage. The others have been growing restless as of late. If that kid is as good as Valkyrie suggests, then this shouldn't be a thing to him." _

"Do as you please."

The red-head sighed and moved to assist her underling but a look from him stopped her. "Kakashi?"

He shrugged carelessly and turned to face the one who had challenged him. He was about twice the size of the boy and had something a menacing look - for a teenager, at least. "Ready?"

The silver-haired boy didn't bother to acknowledge him.

"Stupid kid!" The larger man got a grip of Kakashi's shoulders with both arms.

Seeing this Loki looked over to the red-head and smirked. "It's already over." The larger boy clearly had the strength advantage - a single grapple would end the fight in an instant.

"Yes." She agreed, but a smile was still plastered on her face. "But not for my guy."

No matter how hard the larger boy tried, he couldn't budge Kakashi from his spot. The boy stood as still as a mountain. "W-what's goin' on?!" In the next instant, the previously 'captured' boy disappeared from his grip and got to his side. "Wh-" He felt a sharp blow enter the side of his body - right on the lower ribs - and yelled in absolute agony. Kakashi then followed with a low kick, dropping the larger teen to one knee and delivered a swift elbow to his face.

Loki gritted his teeth and reluctantly nodded. "That was good." But that was not all.

The leader of the group managed to catch something else though. _"Those eyes..." _For a second, Odin could have sworn he saw a crazed look in the boy's black eyes. It was not an unfamiliar look, especially for those who fought underground to prove themselves, the condition was common in the martial arts Underworld.

_"There's no doubt - those were the eyes of a killer!" _

"Was I right...or was I right?" Kisara smirked. "Why don't you have a go, Loki? You were pretty confident before right? Right?!"

"Tch." His lips curled downward. "He's replacing Hermit, not me."

Odin nodded and looked at the boy, who's expression was kept carefully blank. "Well done, Kakashi-kun. The person you defeated was the best of today's nominees. I guess I should congratulate you."

The boy didn't react immediately. He just stared at Odin carefully and proceeded to shake his head, before turning to leave. Freya narrowed her eyes. "What is the meaning of this, boy?"

"I saw Hermit earlier." His voice was childish but held a hint of smooth mockery. "Strong people like him should keep his post."

"Then why don't you beat him for it?" Loki suggested lazily, "I mean, you can right?"

"If I could, I still wouldn't take the seat." Was his reply. "Only weaklings should be disposed of."

The trickster pinned a glare on him from behind his goggles - but the look soon turned to one of arrogance. "Tch. You got somethin' to say?" Kakashi lifted his palms upward in a nonchalant matter, saying:

"Why should strong people take down strong people when there is a weaker person to replace?" His gaze never left Loki's. "Maa, I've said enough. If I'm any later then I'll miss the sa-"

"Enough." Freya interrupted him. "Then choose one of the Fists to challenge - if you are so confident."

Valkyrie bit her cheek in worry. _"Hopefully the idiot won't say something completely offensive."_

"I only joined to play with Kisara-chan." The boy admitted. "I don't really care what you guys do."

"Nonetheless, you are apart of Ragnarok now!" Thor exclaimed and stomped his feet hard on the ground to show how serious he was. "Choose or we'll all crush you!"

"Or are you too scared?" Loki pushed on.

The insult did not get any sort of rise from Kakashi. His eyes were still blank, giving him a generally bored looking look - and the scarf on his neck still obscured any signs of possible annoyance that might have appeared on his lower face. Kisara looked around and noticed that the others were dead serious at the moment, waiting for the boy's eventual answer.

"...Fine." His blank look turned to one of exasperation, the first true expression that appeared on his face. "Guess I'll take goggles over there."

Odin clapped his hands once and his lips curled into a cruel smile. "Excellent. Since Hermit has proved to be around - I cannot just allow today's efforts to be wasted! Loki, you shall fight Kakashi here to determine if he is worthy of taking your spot!"

"Not now." The silver-haired boy rose his arm to interrupt him. "I have something to do right now. It is urgent."

The goggles wearing Fist laughed. "That's fine with me kid! Besides, I have things to do now as well." He glanced at his leader. "Odin?"

"That is acceptable for now, I suppose. Tomorrow, you two shall fight for the spot of 'Fourth Fist'!" He declared authoritatively, "You are all dismissed for today."

As they were all leaving, Kisara jogged up to Kakashi who's expression returned to being blank. "What was so important that you couldn't fight him now?" She asked. The boy merely shrugged and put his hands in his sweater pockets.

"Um...nothing." He scratched his head, "There's just- Oh, I'm late. Bye!" And with that, the boy dashed away at frightening speeds. It was many years later when she realized that there was a book store around the area he was headed.

* * *

Tanimoto's Mansion - Training Grounds

Natsu sat hunched on a nearby wooden bench that was low to the ground, his breath was fairly ragged and sweat dripped down his brows - a result from a heavy session of Piquaquan training.

_"I cannot slack off." _He wiped the sweat from his brows. _"First it was the loss to that masked girl, and then the tie against Shirahama Kenichi." _He counted the fight on top the bus as a draw because there was no clear winner - and at the end, there was slight Master interference. The boy knew that he could have defeated Kenichi had they been on even ground but according to sources, the guy only got better after every sighting. It was truly a phenomenon.

His fight against Xinku was a complete loss for him, however. There were no if ands or buts about that.

Natsu was determined to never lose like that again.

"Ha!" He went back to his chopping drills. "Huah!"

"Will you stop those 'hua' noises already! What are you, five? It only makes your hits stronger in a real fight, not in practice!" A girl's voice yelled from inside the house.

Twitching, the blonde yelled back in annoyance. "Shut up! It's none of your business!" He then muttered in a low tone, "Of course I'm not five, stu-" Natsu widened his eyes completely and ran hastily back to his manor.

What he saw baffled him. Sitting on _his_ expensive lawn chair, next to _his_ table that held _his _kettle of tea, was the girl he had met earlier that day. He noticed that her legs were carelessly placed on one of his most expensive statue carvings (not that he cared much for those, but they were still valuable) - resting there as if it were a foot-holder. The girl wore orange-tinted shades to cover her eyes from the blazing sun of summer. "Nice backyard you have here." Honoka smiled cheekily.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? HOW DID YOU GET IN MY HOUSE?!"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Well obviously, I'm here to settle the debt that you owe me."

Natsu was completely and utterly bemused. "What? What are you talking about? I don't owe you anything! I don't even know you!"

She looked at him without a hint of amusement. "For one, I saved your hide from the bullies back there. Two, because I saved you, I broke my oath to not fight on day-offs! So you owe me! Besides, look at you: You're training with an injury - why the hell would you do that? It's bleeding out for goodness sake!"

"It's fine!" He rubbed where he had clumsily bandaged himself. "Also, I could have handled those idiots by myself. You were the one that chose to help out on your own accord! I don't owe you anything!"

"You owe me a day-off you prick!"

"Screw you!"

"And I saw your house too! It was a mess, and oh G- the kitchen. Your kitchen was filthy when I walked in there! Do you know how wasteful that is? Do you know how many people would kill out there for the scraps of bread you leave on the floor? Get a maid or something!"

Maybe she was overreacting a little bit - actually, it was probably a certainty that everything Honoka was doing right now was completely unnecessary and rude but it couldn't be helped. The truth was, she had needed this venting of frustration ever since her late meeting with Ma Sougetsu - leading the man to figuring out who her Master was by the end. When she told Hakubi of the event, the old man was absolutely furious. Thankfully, he managed to aim most of it at the mafia so Honoka got away from his wrath. For the most part, she was scolded heavily for being found out.

They didn't know if Sougetsu was the type of man to reveal such delicate information since he was a former member of the organization known as 'Yami'. So far, everything in the world was quiet.

But for how long?

And now, she was venting her built up anxiety by breaking into a Ragnarok member's house and scolding him for his horrible living conditions - inside his own home - against all of the polite lessons her Master had ingrained in her head.

"I don't need a maid. I'm doing just fine by myself." He replied. "Don't scold me in my own home! Who do you think you are?" Natsu crossed his arms and looked down at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him childishly - resembling someone he once knew. Her stubborn nature truly irritated him to no ends but for some mystical reason, he kept falling for her silly taunts.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, get out of here!"

"No."

"Go!"

"No."

He growled and abruptly turned back to continue his training - intent on ignoring the girl entirely. She was of no threat to him and he wouldn't dare leave. It was his own manor!

"Oi, where do you keep the tea around here?!" She yelled out. "And you need to clean this place up! It's a mess!"

"Then leave if you think so!"

"No, I won't leave until you pay me back, you un-grateful prick!"

It was not until much later when Natsu Tanimoto came to the realization that it was her abrasive nature that reminded him of what he lost a long time ago. His own late sister was a kind, sweet and caring girl that he adored. But the girl that marched right into his own house and told him that he sucked at living really pissed him off to no end, creating a huge contrast - but for some reason, he was being muddle-headed about the situation. If he truly wanted to, he could have kicked her out.

Could he?

Then why wasn't he?

"I'm coming back soon! And if this house isn't clean by then, I'll keep scolding you!" Natsu tried to shut her voice out but couldn't entirely. He heard his front door close and let out a large sigh of relief.

_"Thank goodness that little witch is gone!" _He sighed externally. "What is it with me and attracting weird people! She's only a kid too."

At least she wasn't as bad as Siegfried.

* * *

Somewhere in Koryou - Orphanage Pass

"Dumb prick." Honoka mumbled as she walked down the street. The sun was falling down but there was one more stop that she had to stop by. "Maybe I went too far...nah, he almost killed Kenichi on top of a bus. I'm just giving him his due karma without kicking his butt. I think Master would approve if I justified it like that."

For a moment, she stopped a turned around to stare at a tree. "Huh, I could have sworn I heard something..." It was only fifteen minutes later when she arrived at her destination.

"...It's been a month, I think?" Honoka didn't know why she was talking to herself like this. "Haku can straighten me out. I'm so mad at myself right now, he'll definitely cheer me up."

Despite not meeting one another as often as they used to as sparring partners, Honoka always made sure to visit her old friend. Haku had grown immensely since Naruto left three years ago - not just height-wise, but character-wise as well. His duties as caretaker had matured him greatly compared to his old, assistant days of being care-free.

Opening the front door like always, she walked in and removed her shoes. "Wonder where he is...?"

"Hm?"

Turning around, the brunette was met with another familiar face. "Asuma-san! You're back from your trip." She waved at him with a grin. The man who had remnants of youth three years ago, no longer had such looks much to his dismay. His hair was now completely gray and his once handsome visage became old with stress lines. But even with those marks, he still retained the image of the kind man he always had been.

"Honoka-chan." Asuma walked over and patted her shoulder. "It's been a long time. Six months, I believe?"

"Yeah." The girl nodded. "How was the trip?"

"Long...but fun. I think that will be the last time I'll take such a long trip...I think I'll retire soon."

"That's good!" She beamed. "I mean, now you can finally stop working, right?" He nodded and smiled, before giving her a piercing look that caught her off guard for a brief moment. It was ignored.

"So...what are you here for?" He asked.

Honoka scratched her head as she answered. "Well, I'm came here to visit Haku. But it was nice seeing you too! How's Konohamaru by the way? I haven't seen him since he moved to the States!"

"Happy." Asuma replied simply. "He's living with one of my friends. Kid has made loads of friends."

"That's good..." She replied with a note of melancholy, her hands holding each other as they tightened on her stomach. It was not long after his kidnapping when Konohamaru asked to move to the States with one of Asuma's friends - a friend who had known him since childhood apparently. The only reason the person hadn't taken the boy before was lack of stability and work but now, that had changed.

"So...you're just here for Haku...?"

"Yeah. Why else would I be here?" Honoka scoffed lightly and nudged him. "But had I known you were here, I would have brought over my Othello board!"

"Heh, I'm not really in the mood to lose one hundred times in a row at a children's game." He laughed merrily. "Well, come on - let's go up."

For some odd reason, the elder man insisted on staying behind her like some paranoid prick but nothing in his expression said anything. His eyes kept roaming behind him as if to check for deadly bugs on a shadow. That kind of look usually put Honoka on edge since such actions usually meant that something weird was going on - and if there was anything weird going on, the brunette just had to know.

Her nosy side couldn't resist a good mystery at all.

When she got to the top floor, Honoka saw the office and made way. "Haku-chan, it's me." She knocked.

"...Come in."

Opening the door, she immediately walked in and saw the older looking version of Yuki Haku. No longer did he wear a simple blue kimono - it was now an elegant piece with a falling snow-like design and a slim white edge. The older man wore a white Haori above it all and on his waist was a sash that was as white as the snow - tucked into it was a small, retractable metal fan. His hair was still the same dark black that went down to his back.

Comically enough, he still somehow passed for a woman. Poor guy.

"Hona-chan."

"What th- I told you to stop calling me that!" The corner of her lips curled into a grimace. "I mean, I know you think it's cute but-"

"I know, I know." He rolled his eyes and asked her to sit down. "Come, I'll make tea and we can catch up."

"Great!" She grinned and sat on the floor in front of the table. "Where's Asuma-san? I could have sworn he was just behind me."

Haku grinned enigmatically. "Hm. Who knows, the man's been getting a bit...forgetful, as of late. Comes with terrible age. Enough of that, tell me of your troubles."

And so she did. She told him of all the things that had happened in the past weeks including about her multiple encounters with Ragnarok and Ma Sougetsu. She told him about how Hakubi had spent almost an hour scolding her for being so careless in front of a great Master like Sougetsu - and that her foolishness might have just painted a target on her back. Finally, she spoke of her building frustration with hunting down Ragnarok members and stopping them from bullying people.

She told him everything.

She always did. He was one of the few men in the world that held her full trust, along with her Master. No matter how much she loved her blood father and brother, they wouldn't understand her troubles as a person and as a martial artist. Maybe Kenichi could very soon...but unfortunately, she didn't think her father ever would.

But Haku and her Master always did. If anything, along with that skank Ma Renka, he was one of the few that could be counted as her best friends.

"I see..." He took a sip of his tea. "That is unsettling."

"Are you gonna scold me too?" It's not that she was afraid of being told off, to be honest, she just wanted to get criticism over with so she could move forward.

"No." His eyes softened. "From what you just told me, I believe you've gotten enough of that from Hakubi-dono."

They shared a brief moment of silence before he continued. "Honoka, you are like the sister I never had. And I care about you - so while I am upset that you would be so careless, I am happy that you finally managed to get it off your chest."

"W-what are you talking about?"

Haku poured another serving into his cup. "You're not mad that you told Ma Sougetsu, Honoka. Hell, you're not even mad at Hakubi for scolding you or yourself for allowing all of this to happen. From what I see...you- I think you seem a bit happier now that you've told someone." For the longest time, the girl had been extremely low in energy and enthusiasm. The once bright girl he had remembered training with had jaded in her three years doing martial arts activities. But now, ever since revealing her true nature, she finally began reverting to her former self.

"That can't be right!" She certainly hadn't felt happy earlier. "I've been stressed and angry the entire week!"

"Built up stress that you are just now releasing. Now that you've managed to calm down, why don't you re-assess yourself? You were always slow at meditation, it's no wonder that you're so confused."

Her lips tightened and she nodded before taking a deep, calming breath. It all came to her that moment of serenity - her former Master's room always had a way of calming her. The man sitting in front of her drinking tea was not completely wrong - if not outright correct. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if a burden was lifted off of her shoulders. What it was, Honoka didn't know but it gave her a feeling of...freedom, something she sincerely enjoyed.

"...Was it a nice epiphany?"

"But- well, shouldn't I feel bad then? Uncle Hakubi was so mad that he yelled at me a bit! And he never does that." She mumbled. "But I feel so good about it! I can't help myself! I felt so- so proud when I admitted it! I'm so proud, Haku-chan!"

"Hakubi-dono wasn't mad at you, Hona-chan. He was just probably a little worried. No doubt, he is probably on edge with all the things that have been going on in the Underworld of Martial Arts. Rumor has it that 'Yami' has begun to recruit heavily into their weapon's division. This is startling news, as you can probably imagine."

His words relieved her of a lot of stress. "I see."

"Don't think too much about the whole 'Yami' business. That's something that the Heroes of the world should be concerned with, not a student. You're still young, for the moment, you still need more training before stepping into that realm."

The brunette nodded in understanding before inclining an eye-brow at him. "What are you saying other then what's on the surface, Haku-chan?"

He was about to answer before closing his mouth and smiling mysteriously. "Welcome back."

"You were never one to boast so slyly, Haku. The realm of Mastery has been good for you."

Honoka froze in her spot, the tea that she had been close to drinking long forgotten in front of her. _"That voice." _A voice that would always haunt her training, cleverly taunting but pushing her all at the same time. It was a voice that she defaulted in her mind when she mentally asked spirits for guidance. It was the voice that always gave nothing but words of true encouragement and wisdom to her in times of darkness.

She stoop up immediately and slowly turned around.

Standing right behind her was a tall blond man with crisp (but kind) blue eyes and a soft smile adorning his deceptively young visage. He wore simple peasant robes that looked aged and ragged - most likely a result from his long journey. Around his shoulder was a sword that was tied with a simple white string.

"Master..."

Her whisper uttered out like an instinct. She walked up to him and gazed right into his eyes unflinchingly. He returned it in full. All of a sudden she got on her knees and bowed her head in complete submission, wrapping her left hand around the right. "Master!"

He chuckled heartily and grabbed her by the shoulders to drag the girl up to her feet. "No need to be so dramatic, my disciple. Come, I'm sure you just need a h-" She glomped him immediately and tightened her grip as soon as contact was made. Naruto only smiled and ruffled her hair her affectionately - like how an uncle would do for their nieces. "I am so glad to see you well, Honoka."

"I have practiced martial arts everyday like you have asked of me. I have devoted my every waking minute to your teachings, Master! I- I am so happy-" She stuttered clumsily - completely and utterly overwhelmed by emotion. "I missed you so much."

He sighed and let the girl keep her embrace. "I've missed you as well."

She didn't know why but the presence of her Master seemed to put her tense mind at ease. The stresses that had been building up and fortifying for weeks were collapsing. For the first time in a long time, she felt light.

"You've grown into a beautiful young lady - and a skilled martial artist." He commented lightly. "Well done."

"My diligence stems from your brilliance, Master. Without you, I would not be who I am today."

Haku laughed a bit at that. "Just give up already, sensei. No matter how hard you try, she will always refute and pin her skills as your accomplishment and not her own."

"Silly girl." Naruto flicked Honoka on the forehead, eliciting a slight hiss. "Let's have tea. I heard everything you have said - now we must discuss your course of action, among other things."

Haku took out a nearby cup and placed it where the blonde turned to sit. "You must be tired from your journey."

"It was quite exciting." The Master nodded once, "However, we must get on topic. Disciple, did you say that it was Ma Sougetsu that uncovered you?"

Honoka had the sense to look a bit ashamed. "Yes."

Seeing her expression, he rose his hand and flicked her again on the temple. "Stop that, don't worry yourself too much. I am just happy that you managed to keep it secret for three years - someone was bound to find out."

"B-but-"

"Enough. Luckily for you, there is no need to worry about him." The two disciples gave him a questioning look. "Ma Sougetsu owes me a life debt! If the man knows what's good for him, he won't tell a single soul. Even so, he is not the type of person that gossips so easily."

The youngest seemed more than a little relieved at that. "Anyway, I came to warn you about something. I'm sure Hakubi has told you but Koryou has somehow gained the attention of Konoha. According to the reports I found in one of their bases, agents are being sent here to scope out something."

"What's so interesting about this place?" Honoka asked incredulously. "There's nothing special here!"

Her Master disagreed with those sentiments. "Talent, Honoka. Also, they wouldn't pass on an opportunity to scout the newly minted disciple of Ryouzanpaku - the Heroes who are praised as the 'Strongest In History' for a very good reason." He took another drinking before pinning a curious look on his student. "I was more than a little surprised and amused when I heard that it was a 'Shirahama' Kenichi that became the disciple of History's best. Unfortunately, his reputation brings both good and bad things."

Now that made more sense to her. "If they're interested in my brother, then I can't just stand by and let them do as they please."

"You were never one to run from a fight. That's a good thing I suppose." The blonde acknowledged. "I also wish to take a look around before leaving."

"How long will you be staying here, Master?" She desperately hoped it would be a good duration. "Just curious."

"A week or two at best. One to look around, two to test you."

_"I guess that's the best I can hope for." _The girl understood clearly just how important her Master's quest was. "I understand, Master."

"Good." He finished up the last droppings of his tea. "Oh, and Haku - I brought an injured guest to see you."

"Hm?" The younger man quirked a brow. "A companion?"

Naruto chuckled and shook his head in the negative. "You see, when I arrived in town - I was walking by the port when I saw the strangest thing. There was a young man - who looked quite beaten and battered - singing from the top of his lungs about the beauty of a punch's 'Zero Beats'. I had thought that he had gone insane, so I brought him over to you."

"..." The dark-haired man stared at the blonde Master. "...And you didn't take him to the hospital because...?"

"That's the interesting part! While I was on the way there, he began singing a Peach Blossom Island classic. I couldn't just let the boy lose his mind so I brought him here to a trustworthy healer; such talents must be kept in this world at any cost!" Naruto defended his stance strongly, "It was quite good, you know."

The two disciples couldn't help but give the justifying man a little credit.

_"He never changes."_

* * *

END

I don't know how this made to 7500 words. It was such a simple chapter.

As you can see, I deviated slightly from canon here. Natsu got back earlier, before the Siegfried fight with Kenichi. Naruto finds Siegfried sometime after and brings him to Haku. Honoka's relationship with Nacchi is going to be completely different - but I will try to retain their closeness. I'm trying to not force it since we all know that this Honoka is miles different than canon Honoka so I have to make their relationship different. Sometimes, I hate myself for eliminating most of the innocent from her.

No chronicles of course - since you know, I gave Naruto a cameo. He will be around for maybe a few chapters then I'll send him off again. I was gonna do an omake but I changed my mind.

For me, this chapter was a bit tough to write since I lost my hot-hand - which is fine, I'll get it back sometime. Currently under a lot of stress from real life, I gotta do what I gotta do. No matter how many times you beat an obstacle, another will make itself known. The writing in this chapter is probably going to be the worst you'll ever get from me, hopefully.

I tried to make things a bit funnier with witty humor but even I didn't laugh at it, so I don't know how you all will feel.

Kakashi is back. This chapter was 100% set-up, no action at all, which is unlike me. This entire chapter was unlike me.

Why did I bring Naruto back briefly? Well, I did say that I would be doing that. Brief cameos and then a full return some time after the Ragnarok arc - that's the plan. I have a plan for people who keep asking me who I'm pairing Naruto with.

The next chapter WILL solve that issue. The mystery of it all, at least. I mean come on, this is HSDK. Who else would I pair my second lead character with?

This return is only temporary. But I will be making MOST of it. I promise.

Some people asked for a complete move-set for Honoka and I have delivered:

Tianfang (Sky Fang): A drop kick that involves a drilling body motion.

Longxuan (Dragon Spin): It's a counter technique that involves spinning into the opponent's forward momentum and landing an elbow.

Longuizishou (Dragon Executioner): Imagine Naruto's "Uzumaki Barrage" but without the clones. Honoka sweeps the opponent's legs from below and jumps very quickly to land a spinning heel drop on the chest. It's power depends on how long Honoka gets to spend in mid-air spinning.

Longzhimao (Dragon Spear): A flying knee and elbow combo. If the knee is blocked, then the elbow is swung.

Longzhifang (Dragon's Fang): Uses a free hand to stop a punch by striking the shoulder and in same fluid motion, uses other arm's elbow to strike face.

Shuangzifang (Twin Fang): It's the follow up to Longzhifang where the swinging elbow returns and hits the opponent again.

Fanglei-Long (Lightning Dragon): A delayed version of Longuizishou using both heels and more velocity. It cannot be done unless the opponent is down for a long time.

Zhipao (Finger Gun): Self-explanatory - using two fingers to pierce an opponent's body. Uses ki and breath hardening techniques.

Shé Jiao Dian (The Serpent Glides): It's a footwork style where the user can literally glide while moving. It is effective for many styles of fighting that involve dodging and maneuvering, but not advisable for offensive fighters. Honoka only uses it against superior opponents.

Seikuken (Control of the Air Sphere): All Kenichi readers should know this. It's basically the domain where Honoka can reach and deflect. With her style, she counters better in that range. She is after all, a counter fighter.

Well, I think that's enough for now.

Have a nice day.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**"The Replacement"**

"What am I going to do...?" Miu kept muttering to herself as she cleaned the edge of the dojo, "Oh, what am I going to do...?"

Shirahama Kenichi was a very simple boy. He did not have any extravagant tastes other than flashy, action-packed adventure books - so he was not well-versed in the skills of scheming. His best friend, Furinji Miu, had been running herself ragged ever since receiving a call from their school to issue a 'Home Visit' in order to 'assess' her living conditions. Logically, he thought that it was a very ridiculous thing to be worried about since Miu had proved time and again to be a perfectly sane person.

At least, compared to the people she lived with.

"Sakaki-san! Repeat your lines!" She ordered from a distance. The intimidating scar-faced Master sputtered in the middle of his drink and looked away from Miu's glare.

"U-uh, my name is F-furinji Saiga and my p-profession is a-" He stumbled even further when everyone began scrutinizing him. The blonde girl narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms at him. "-a, a JET PLANE!"

Kenichi just imagined his Karate Master carrying people on his back and flying over the ocean to the United States. For that matter, he had to hold back his laughter when Miu hit the back of the man's head with a rolled up newspaper. "Jet PILOT, Sakaki-san! Jet PILOT!"

"Pilot! Right, right, I'll get it next time." He muttered and re-read the words she printed for him. "Man, this is so hard for some reason."

"I wanted Akisame-san to play the part." She admitted and glanced back at the time. "They're coming later! We just don't have enough time."

"The old man leaves at the worst times." Apachai scratched his chin, "Apa! Too bad Akisame also left on a trip, he's a good actor!"

It was as if the winds of fortune continuously kept blowing the other way when it came to her. Not to mention, this visit could cause them a lot of trouble if too many weird, super-natural things happened. Miu knew that this was inevitable so she made a script to curtain the weird with as much regular as possible, so to speak. But with these simpletons as her main actors, pulling the wool over teachers (and a professional like Professor Yasunaga was not easy to fool) would be incredibly difficult.

Not to mention, Shigure kept cutting things. It was like working with the impossible.

"I wish someone could come by with all the answers." Miu sulked around as she watched Sakaki mess up his lines once again, just in time to see Shigure accidentally cut a random table with a spoon. The socially-inept teacher had to be kidding around at that point - right?

"So, what's up everyone?"

The blonde turned her head to the side and saw the girl she had grown accustomed to seeing as a younger sister of sorts. "Honoka-chan, how are you today?"

Smiling as bright as she ever had, Honoka skipped to her enthusiastically and replied. "Great! Wonderful...like, everything in the world is perfect right now."

"You do seem really happy." And it was true. While she was usually up-beat and smiling, the girl always seemed to carry an edge prior to today. It was as if she had been going around and hiding things, and her facade as an innocent child had seemed forceful, but now it looked different. The girl looked as genuinely happy as Miu had ever seen in their brief history. It was like looking in a mirror after the the time her Grandfather told her they would be settling in Koryou with the others.

That day had been something of a dream come true.

"So...what's goin' on here? Ken' seems to be in a good mood." The girl then pointed over to a stumbling Sakaki and the spoon-cutting maniac Shigure. "...Should I ask?"

"My school called a couple days ago and they said that two teachers were coming over to...'observe' my living conditions. I don't even know why!" She seemed depressed. "I wrote on my application the name's of my father and mother but...well, I live with my Grandfather - and those people." The girl thumbed at the crazy Masters.

Honoka felt her pain.

"So...what's your plan? If I had to guess, you're gonna try to deceive them by having two of them act as your parents. Why not Akisame-san?"

"He left on a trip! Grandfather also went to West the earlier this week."

The situation seemed hopeless when the two walked over and Sakaki was still stumbling over lines. "How hard could this possibly be?" Miu asked rhetorically.

"Maybe he's just shy." Honoka shrugged. "Some people fear public speaking more than death, according to magazine polls. Almost everyone sucks as speaking in front of people."

"There's only two coming though!" Comedic tears dripped down her face. "I mean, when I played Juliet, I didn't let any of those thoughts bother me!"

She had a point, Honoka acknowledged. "Well, that's probably just natural charisma. I mean, look at 'Ken over there, he's untalented at a lot things, a lot. But he is surprisingly very good at inspiring people with words."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" The boy yelled from a distance before dodging quickly and rolled away from Kensei's back hand. "Never mind, gotta stay focused!"

"...Anyway, this looks like a lost cause." Honoka said, making her older sister figure drop down in misery.

"You're right! I mean, Sakaki-san and Shigure-san don't even look like me! I have blond hair while they have black too! This is hopeless..."

"Well, you could always say you dye your hair. But I guess you're right, I mean, how many blon-"

Honoka suddenly stopped in mid-sentence before a large smile made it's way to her face. Noticing this, Miu looked at her with a questioning gaze. "Honoka-chan?" The brunette's eyes began to twinkle mischievously.

"I think I know someone who can help." She smiled widely. "But I need to let the Masters know."

"What is it?" Miu asked curiously. At the moment, her situation was near rock-bottom and guaranteed to fail, so any idea would work. "I'll take just about anything."

"My...Master is blond."

Miu shivered at the girl's insinuation. _"Uzumaki Naruto." _While she did not harbor any personal dislike for him, the blonde girl was not unfamiliar with the story often dubbed as 'The Night of October the Tenth'. The media never covered such horrific things since such events happened away from the public eye - but anyone who had connections in the Underworld of Martial Arts knew of the tale. Anyone who lived in the darker side of the world knew exactly why they called him 'Aukuang'.

"C-can he help?"

"Of course!" There was a slight tone of indignation in her voice. "He's my Master! And even if he didn't want to, he kind of owes me a favor."

Three years of being away while she had to train all by herself? Oh yes, Honoka would be squeezing as much tutelage from the man as she could during these next two weeks. For now though, the student was content with allowing her Master to roam the city to appease his curiosity.

"I would be really grateful." Miu nodded, "And I don't think the others would mind at all."

Ryouzanpaku rarely disallowed people to enter their dojo - whether they were mass murderers or the Pope himself - everyone had equal right to enter a dojo. Not to mention, Naruto is on friendly terms with Hakubi and thus, might be on good terms with Kensei. Maybe. Honoka was honestly still in the dark about her Master's connections with other famous Masters.

"I'll go get him now!" There was a spring in her step as she skipped away.

* * *

Ragnarok Base - Unknown Location

"Where is he?" Kisara mumbled to herself quietly. "I told him to come two hours earlier than the meeting time and he's still late."

Luckily for her though, Kakashi's opponent had also yet to show which was not particularly surprising. Loki was not someone who was known to be punctual. Then again, now that she thought about it, the only person who could have been considered punctual in Ragnarok were Freya and her Valkyries.

"Hm." Odin's fingers tapped along the crate patiently.

"Something on your mind, Odin?" Asked Valkyrie, "You seem a bit off today." He was quieter than usual. While he was already considered a very hands-off leader, the teen did speak enough for him to be recognizable in public. Everyone who was apart of Ragnarok knew him, except for maybe the lower and new members.

"Siegfried has gone missing." He replied. "I've asked Freya's troops to locate him...but so far, it has been in vain. Hermit is still off doing his own thing as well. Luckily, he was courteous enough to let me know of his return via email."

"What a professional guy." Thor commented and frowned. "I'm worried about Sieg, I've sent half my guys to look for him but nothing so far. It's like he just disappeared."

"Loki might know something." Freya put in her two cent, "He supposedly went to go visit Siegfried the other night to discuss some business. Perhaps..."

"Mhm." Odin nodded. "Well, we can ask him before he fights Kakashi-kun."

As soon as he said that, a single person walked into the warehouse grounds. It was Kakashi. "Hm."

"You're finally here. Took you long enough." Valkyrie scoffed, jumped from her seat and walked over to the boy. "Where have you been?"

"I was ordered by my superiors to assassinate a politician around here. I just got done with that, so I'm a bit late." Kakashi replied in a deadpan tone. "Sorry."

Kisara rolled her eyes. "Sure you did. Will you stop with your lame excuses already? At least make a good one!"

The girl had no idea.

Kakashi shrugged. "Well, here I am now."

"Right, right! Luckily, Loki isn't here yet. So you won't have to deal with his taunting of your bad habits!"

"I don't have bad habits."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

She resisted the urge to smack him upside the head. But her eyes were drawn to another person just walking in - it was Loki.

Odin narrowed his eyes immediately at him, eliciting a grimace from the trickster. "Loki. I have been told that you were the last person to see Siegfried before his disappearance."

The boy nodded. "He was defeated last night by Shirahama Kenichi."

Thor widened his eyes in disbelief. "Impossible! Siegfried was invincible!" To think that there was a person out there who had the skills to beat Siegfried (who was not a member of Ragnarok) was a bit of a shock to him. Ever since befriending the odd musician, Thor had yet to see him get bested in a fight.

It was Thor who coined him as the 'Immortal Composer' in the first place, after all.

"Apparently not." Loki replied. "I sent Number 47 to get him after I saw Shirahama leave the premises but he was gone by then. In his place was a pile of blood."

"Damn him!" Thor smashed a nearby crate, sending back into the wall. "I'll have my men hunt down that twerp."

"We have other matters to attend to right now." Freya spoke up, "I'm sure my Valkyries will locate Siegfried soon...so for now, why don't we get down to business?"

Odin nodded and signaled the two fighters to stand facing one another. Kakashi's hands were in his pockets as he lazily looked Loki over.

"You seem cocky, kid! Not even gonna take a stance?" Loki taunted from where he stood. "You won't beat me like that."

Kakashi didn't answer, preferring to take out a stick of gum and chew on it. The trickster gritted his teeth. "If you don't wanna talk, fine by me." From his jacket, he took out an easy to conceal gun.

Freya narrowed her eyes. "That..." Odin waved off her comment. "But Odin-"

"Enough. They were told to fight for the esteemed spot of Fourth Fist, did you not think Loki would stoop to such depths? He is our trickster."

"But it is dishonorable." Thor argued, "We should stop this!"

"Yeah!" Kisara added in loudly. "What the hell is Kakashi gonna do against that?"

"I said, enough." Odin's previous calm demeanor slipped slightly, "Besides, if you are so worried about blood-shed, then I find it prudent to inform you that it's just a pellet gun. Even Loki does not have the heart to kill a person, let alone a kid."

The silver-haired boy didn't seem to register the danger and stood calmly. Loki then pulled the trigger, shooting multiple pellets in his opponent's direction. However, the result was not as expected. The younger boy tilted his head ever so slightly and dodged all of the incoming shots in the same fashion. "What the-"

"Good reaction time." Odin commented with a smile. "My, my Valkyrie, you really did find a good one." She just smiled.

Kakashi rose his left arm and revealed a pellet in his hand. "Looks like I caught one." The boy had managed so by using the metal plating on his gloves.

"Tch!"

The silver-haired boy then rose his hand in a finger-flicking gesture with the pellet on the shooting joint. "What the hell are you doing?" Loki seemed exasperated. "That's not gon-" Kakashi flicked his finger and the pellet shot at the elder teen at a high speed, hitting the boy right in the shoulder - making him step back in pain.

"What the hell?" Thor sputtered, "He flicked it so fast!"

"Strong fingers." Odin replied, "I still want to see his close-quarter abilities."

Loki agreed and took out a steel pipe to charge in. Kakashi also picked one up from the ground. He used his own pipe to block the boy's initial swing and simultaneously grabbed the boy's hand. In the same motion, Kakashi swung his pipe to strike at his opponent's midsection followed with a round-about disarming swing that was then followed with a swing to the temple, knocking down the white-haired trickster out-cold.

"Excellent stick technique." Freya commented with a small smile. "You don't see many Escrima users around here."

"Escrima?" Thor asked, "What's that?"

It was Odin who spoke up from beside him. "A martial art that can be traced back to the Phillipines. It emphasizes the use of sticks, knives and other weapons. Today, many military programs integrate it's ideas into their training due to the sheer versatility of the style."

"I've never seen him do that before." Kisara admitted, "He struck me as a free-form Karate style when I first tested him against some chumps. Guess he has a little more up his sleeves."

"The fight looks just about over." Thor commented after. "Loki's down."

"Not quite." Freya shook her head. "And it seems, Kakashi has also realized that."

The silver-haired boy was chewing his gum and calmly analyzed the downed teen. When he heard the sound of a trigger being touched, he spun away from a pellet gun that had been shot from the top window of the building. "Heh! You didn't think I was stupid enough to fight you up-close, did you?! No, I'm way smarter than that! The person you beat was one of my Shadows!"

The Fourth Fist placed his hand in his mouth and whistled, signaling the other fighters he had recruited. Suddenly, multiple clones of Loki ran through the warehouse and surrounded Kakashi immediately. "You may recognize some of them." Loki smirked.

"Hey, that kid goes to my school." Kisara pointed at one of the Loki clones, "He's the ace of the Koryou basket-ball team."

"And that guy over there is the best linebacker in our region! Why is he here?" Thor looked over to a bigger form of Loki that was standing on the front lines, so to speak.

"I blackmailed all of these athletes to work for me part-time! It really is easy to get dirt on people you know, and it is especially easy to blackmail jocks." The trickster laughed cockily. "You're done! Take him out!"

The thirty 'Shadows' of Loki charged at Kakashi head on. But they stopped as soon as the boy sighed, dropped his pipe holding hand to the side, and used his other hand to reach into his jacket. "What's he taking out?!" The lead Loki-clone said. "A weapon?"

Once that was said, Kakashi's hand left to reveal something none of them expected.

It was an orange book.

"What the fuck?" Valkyrie scoffed instinctively. "Why the fuck are you reading at a time like this?!"

Kakashi merely glanced at the other Fists - all of whom seemed bemused except for Odin, who had an amused quirk of the lips on his face - and shrugged.

"This is obviously going to take a while." The boy replied with a long-suffering sigh. "Besides, I just got this the other day. It's pretty good so far."

"You're looking down on me after this, kid?!" Loki laughed even harder than before. "Forget him! Just take him down, Shadows!"

Kakashi moved smoothly in-between the clones and randomly lashed away at them at the same time. Even though his face held an expression of laziness, the boy's movements told of another story - his footwork was easily sustained and he never stumbled after dodging once - making it difficult for Loki to find a clear shot.

"Amazing!" Thor couldn't believe his eyes. "Just amazing!"

"Indeed..." Freya agreed. "He is a better fighter than any of my Valkyries."

"Well..." Thor smirked and place his arms on his wrist and replied very loudly:

"He IS in his Springtime of Youth!"

And then something happened.

Kakashi widened his eyes, put away his new book, and began to move at an even faster pace. The lashes became even faster and held more weight than before - the real Loki who was still sitting by the window had a hard time finding a good shot because of this. Before he knew it, all of his shadows fell to the boy. "Un-fucking-believable." He gritted his teeth in anger. "I can still shoot you from here!"

"What the hell made him up his tempo?" Kisara quirked a brow.

Meanwhile, the fighter shook himself from a shiver that had come down his spine. "I could have sworn I heard...that accursed mantra. Must have been my imagination." Kakashi mentally scolded himself for losing his cool like that.

Throwing away all restraints, Loki kept his fingers on the trigger and unloaded the gun at the boy from a distance. Kakashi grabbed one of the Loki's and used it as his shield. "Son-of-a-bitch!"

The silver-haired boy grabbed a loose pellet and performed his finger-flicking technique, forcing Loki to jump down to a nearby crate to dodge. The younger boy took advantage of this and immediately rushed up behind his opponent. "Heh, not so fast!" He had a hidden weapon - a taser gun.

But Kakashi had long telegraphed the so-called 'sneaky' move and disarmed it the moment it was taken out. He then kicked the boy up off the crate - high into mid air - and jumped in pursuit. "Konoha Taijutsu Ougi: Hasu no Aki (Fall of the Lotus)." As Loki was falling down, Kakashi slowed down his own fall before unleashing a ferocious mid-air punching/elbow combo on his opponent - that eventually ended with him spinning downward with an elbow dropped down on Loki's abdomen just before reaching the ground.

The winner was quite clear.

"Holy shit." Kisara reacted first, it had been a brutal combo. "Nice, Kakashi! That's my boy!" She lifted her arms in a cheering motion.

"Well fought." Odin nodded to the boy, who shrugged. "I would like to congratulate you, the new Fourth Fist of Ragnarok."

"Indeed." Freya acknowledged. "You are certainly deserving of it after this."

"That was amazing! Amazing indeed!"

Valkyrie patted the silver-haired boy, who just shrugged uncaring.

"So, what are you goin' to do with the bastard over there? I don't know his name so...do we still call him Loki?" She asked.

"Of course." Odin smiled enigmatically. "As of now, Loki will be temporarily replacing Siegfried as Fifth Fist until he is found. After we find him, Loki will then be demoted to Ninth Fist."

"Ninth Fist? Didn't you say they were fighting for the Fourth seat?" Kisara asked skeptically.

The violet-haired boy just smiled. "I believe it is prudent to keep as many talented people around as possible. Had Kakashi-kun lost, I would have made him the Ninth fist, depending on his performance. Though since he won, the Fourth seat will belong to him. And rightfully so..."

"This means...the kid will need a title." Berserk spoke up for the first time since the entire meeting had begun. Odin just glanced at him, the boy must have been interested in Kakashi's free-form style as well.

The others just looked at Kakashi. "So, what will you go by?" Valkyrie asked.

The boy honestly didn't care. He just shrugged and replied, "I don't know, I like dogs. So why don't you call me...'Dog'."

"How distasteful. Naming things is also one of my many skills, so count yourself lucky." Odin scoffed before smiling widely. "No, I have a better name. Since you like dogs so much, I will bestow the title of 'Fenrir' to you, Kakashi-kun."

"The wolf, huh?" Kisara smirked, "Very fitting. I like it."

Odin looked to the others and nodded.

"Well then. Since this matter has been completely decided, I would like to be the first to welcome you - Fenrir, the Fourth Fist of Ragnarok!"

* * *

Orphanage: Backyard

Honoka only stared comically as she watched the spectacle before her.

"And a one, a two, a one, two, three..." Naruto then began to play an Erhu instrument to lead off, producing a soft and simmering sound that befitted that of a mountain scenery. Followed next was a flute - she looked to the side to see Asuma playing it skillfully while sitting on a chair next to her Master.

_~ There was once a hero who stood tall in the North, chivalrous and mighty like a dragon _

_In the South was a healer, his hands cured the greatest of all poisons ~ _

_~ In the West, the passion of the land, a man with one hand stood against all odds and won_

_And the Master of all, the greatest evil of the land, his strength unrivaled in the East ~_

_~ In the Center, the origin of great power sung, his fists turned into thousands_

_And these five together, ruled the world ~_

"These lyrics are kind of weird." She said bluntly, eliciting a soft laugh from beside her. Looking at the direction, she saw an amused Haku fanning himself with his retractable white metal fan.

"It's a Peach Blossom Island classic, Hona-chan." He teased her with a wave of the finger. "You're too young to understand the depth of the story. Besides, the kids seem to like it." He pointed at the growing crowd of children who lived at the orphanage listening to the song.

"Right, right." The girl then noticed just who was singing. And in perfect Chinese dialect as well, "Isn't that..."

"Yeah, apparently, he's a quick study. The kid's got a tough body - must be a well trained martial artist." Haku replied, "I wonder who he is. He seems very happy for someone who got beat up to a pulp just last night."

"Hm." She watched as the performance ended and the kids all cheered. Naruto smiled at them before noticing his two students standing side-by-side. He signaled them over.

"Disciple." He nodded, "This is Siegfried. Siegfried, this is my disciple - the one I was telling you about."

_"Stupid name too." _She thought to herself before coming to a startling realization. _"Wait a minute, isn't Siegfried one of the better General's of Ragnarok?!" _

When she thought about it, it all made sense. Kenichi's bright attitude from earlier must have been because of this Siegfried guy's defeat. Was it Kenichi who had fought him? _"Possible. But if Ken really did beat him...that's good! He's getting a lot better at a fast pace." _

It was almost supernatural how good her brother was getting in such a short amount of time.

Ryouzanpaku definitely didn't do things half-way.

"It's nice to meet you, Siegfried. My name's Honoka" She bowed before the grey-haired teen, who merely beamed back.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you! Aaaaah Lalalalala ~..." He then spun once in excitement. "They call me the 'Immortal Composer', Siegfried!"

She sweat-dropped. "Right."

"The boy must have suffered terrible brain damage. It is a tragedy but alas, his musical skill is still excellent!" Naruto praised and nodded sagely, "He is very knowledgeable."

"...Sensei, the boy did not suffer any brain-damage from what my tests suggest." Haku replied bluntly. "Nonetheless, you are very skilled. I applaud you, Siegfried-san."

"Why thank you, thank you."

Honoka couldn't help but be amused by the situation. _"Maybe I was wrong. He doesn't seem like the type to be apart of a dumb gang like Ragnarok." _

"Alas, as much as I enjoyed this very much, Naruto-sensei - I must leave to find myself! Aaaaah Lalalalalalala ~..." He then bowed waist deep before the blonde and the caretaker, "I am forever indebted to the both of you!"

And with that, he spun away into the distance while singing random tunes. Naruto couldn't help but give out a light sigh of melancholy before yelling, "You're always welcome here!"

Honoka honestly wasn't sure if this was a memory she wanted to keep so she moved on forward with her own task. "Sensei, I have a favor to ask of you."

Naruto quirked a brow. "...I'm not teaching you one of my Wu Long Shen Zhang (Five Dragon God Palms) techniques until you truly Master the Sky Dragon Steps."

"N-no, that's not what I meant." There was a scream of utter agony in the back of her mind when he heard that admission, she had yet to completely Master that technique. The girl spent a millisecond mourning over her loss. "A friend of mine is in a dilemma and I was wondering if you could help. She's like a big sister to me...please?"

Her Master shrugged. "I suppose. What is it?"

Honoka quickly explained Miu's problem. As expected, he was more than a little skeptical. "Disciple, deceiving a teacher - who wants nothing more then the best for their students - is not the right thing to do. It is better if your friend just came clean." He scolded lightly.

"But that's the thing, Master. This is all a misunderstanding...and from what I remember, my friend's father left her a long time ago so she just needs someone to fill in! All she wants is to feel like she has a family for once!"

"Honoka, it is better to accept reality rather than stand against it!" His voice became harsher all of a sudden, making her recoil back a bit. A flash of regret glinted in his eye and he followed with a small sigh. "...But, if you insist, I will do as you please. However, you will be paying for this during training - I will not hold back on any account! Do you understand?"

"Thank you, Master!" She bowed and smiled. "Well come on, let's go!" Taking him by the arm, they began to make their way. Haku just smiled and gathered the kids up for lunch.

"Where does this friend of yours live anyway...?" He mumbled.

His student smirked. "You'll see."

When they got there, his reaction was less than impressive, for her anyway. "You're kidding." He chuckled and shook his head. "Did you expect me to be surprised?"

"W-well, you know - I thought I would have gotten a better reaction than just a 'You're kidding'." She muttered disappointingly. Naruto just smirked and patted her head.

"Silly girl. I'm not surprised because your brother is their disciple." He pointed at the 'Ryouzanpaku' sign, "I'm curious as to who this girl is though. I am not completely familiar with the all of the Masters that dwell here. I only know of four."

"And those are?"

"Fuurinji Hayato, Koetsuji Akisame, Ma Kensei and Sakaki Shio. They are the most famous and most powerful users of their respective arts in the realm of Katsujinken."

"...Huh, I guess Apachai-san and Shigure-san are new then." Naruto quirked a brow at her answer.

"If you are talking about Apachai Hopachai, then I have to say that I do know of him. They call him the 'Death God of Underground Muay Thai' around Thailand. So...he's also a member of Ryouzanpaku? The story behind that must be incredibly good." He commented, "I do not know the other name you mentioned. Is this your friend?"

"Oh no, my friend is Fuurinji Miu!"

Naruto blinked outwardly, his mind freezing mentally for a moment. _"...Could it be?"_

"Fuurinji Hayato's grand-daughter." She clarified. Naruto nodded, making an 'ah' sound.

Honoka then sighed and motioned towards the door. Her Master merely scoffed and motioned for her to do it. "But I've done it twice today already!" She whined.

He just gave her a look that said 'Nice try'.

"...Fine." Honoka easily opened the large gates and the two walked in, gathering some attention from the others in Ryouzanpaku.

Kenichi watched from where he was training (with Kensei) - as his sister walked in with a man he had never met before. "Hey, who's that?" Kensei blinked and turned his head. When he saw who had walked in, his eyes widened by a fraction.

"Hm." His eyes never the blonde's form as he spoke, "Don't get sloppy, Kenichi-kun."

"Y-you're not even watching!" He whined at the shorter man, who just shushed him in response.

Sakaki walked out from the dojo after having sensed an immense fighting presence walk in through the front gates, and saw the infamous blonde man. The Karate Master smirked and crossed his arms, "Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto merely inclined his head. It was not a bow in any sense of the word - but the respect was felt between the two Masters. "Sakaki Shio."

"Don't be a hypocrite sensei! You told me to always be polite and you're not doing the same!" Honoka accused comically, pointing a finger right at him. He rolled his eyes and flicked her forehead.

"Sha-nu." His eyes roamed around. "My disciple has asked a favor of me. I must say, I'm surprised these walls are still standing after all of the ruckus that always happens around here."

"We have a professional sculpture that lives here. He is a quick worker, as you may know." Kensei had walked over and bowed, his left hand over his right. "A pleasure as always, Naruto."

Naruto returned the same gesture, "You are in good health, Kensei."

Kenichi watched the man who their Masters were talking with and quirked a brow. "Um..." Naruto looked down to him.

"You must be the disciple of 'History's Strongest'." He reached a hand. Kenichi nodded and shook it, before grimacing slightly at the blonde's grip.

_"Strong." _

"I am Uzumaki Naruto, just another martial artist."

"Shirahama Kenichi. I'm a student here."

The introduction was very plain but straight to the point. "So, do you know Honoka?"

Naruto rose both his brows and looked at his disciple, who scratched her head, and looked away at a far wall. "I teach her martial arts." He smiled, contemplating the new insight.

"Really?! You must be pretty strong then!" The young brown-haired lad smiled brightly. "She's really good!"

"Indeed." Kensei stepped in. "How about some tea, Naruto? Kenichi, you can take a...small break for now." The blonde nodded and walked over to the edge of the dojo, followed by a relieved Kenichi. Honoka was still silent as was Sakaki, who was eyeing her Master like he was some sort of video game boss that needed to be defeated. It was amusing and unnerving at the same time - how Kenichi missed the slightly tense atmosphere, she didn't know but kind of envied him. "Miu! We have a guest!"

Kensei walked in first, followed by Naruto who suddenly heard a whizzing noise, and easily caught three shuriken in mid-air with three respective fingers. "Hm." A woman suddenly met him face-to-face as she held herself on the ceiling with her feet.

"Hi."

Naruto blinked and inclined his head. "Hello."

She just stared apathetically into his crisp eyes. "You...smell of oranges...and is that...ramen?"

The blonde shrugged and replied with an equally un-responsive voice. "I suppose I do. And you have quite the pair of demure, violet eyes - I kind of find it attractive." The edge of her lips twitched a bit, but otherwise, she just shrugged and walked away - while still hanging upside down.

"M-master!" Honoka sputtered slightly at the sight of him actually flirting. She didn't think such a thing could have been remotely possible - he always seemed like the old man type of person and his demeanor did nothing but enhance that image. For some reason, when she saw that, it gave Honoka an impression of a younger man.

"What?" He asked with an honest to Kami face.

She just shook her head, "N-nothing. Anyway..." The girl looked over to her brother, who just seemed overly amused by the whole spectacle. "Where's Miu-neechan?"

"I think she's-" The door from the other side slid open. "-just right over there." He finished.

The girl walked in and saw a blond man, who she assumed would be her mysterious helper and smiled to welcome him. As she moved forward though, a small shiver crept in her spine as the logical side of her brain kept running the horror stories she had heard over and over through her mind. _"No! If Honoka respects him, then he must be a completely different person then what they say." _When Miu looked at him, he just seemed like another Master. He didn't have any mysterious edge to him nor did he have the insane blood-thirsty, red eyes from the stories.

"It's nice to meet you, I'm Fuurinji Miu!" She spoke a tad fast, showing that her nerves starting to go over the edge by being in his presence.

Now Kenichi seemed a bit suspicious of the situation. _"She's nervous about something?" _He just shrugged and stretched to relieve his muscles.

Naruto walked over to her and stopped just short of reaching her - he could practically hear the girl's heart beat increase. The man just looked at her right in the eyes and smiled softly before placing his hand on her left shoulder.

"You have your mother's eyes."

Miu froze and looked at the man in utter shock. "W-w-hat did you j-just say?!"

"Master?" Honoka also inquired quietly, also surprised by the insinuation of his words. Her Master merely waved his hand and calmed down the blonde girl who looked on the edge of hyperventilating.

"I will tell you after we pull the wool over your teacher's eyes, is that okay with you?" She nodded furiously and shakily led him to the table in the center of the room, where they all gathered. Naruto calmly glanced over the room and felt another massive presence enter the room from the side, it was a huge man with very tan skin and white hair.

"Apa! Hi!"

"Hello." Naruto returned. "You must be Apachai Hopachai. It is a pleasure."

"A-Apachai-san!" Miu stood quickly and moved over to the Thai man, "W-we need to hide you. They're going to be here any minute!"

While this was going on, Sakaki looked over to Naruto and began to speak. "So, what's a man like you doing around these parts?"

"Just checking in on my cute disciple here." He replied. "What's a man like you doing here and not across the country fighting Akira Hongo?"

The Karate Master just scoffed. "Stingy conservationist, huh?" Naruto just smiled cheekily in return. "You have a good student. I think she's better than ours."

Kenichi was indignant, "You don't have to be so mean, Sensei!" He cried out, with comical tears. "I mean, I'm pretty good! I beat a member of Ragnarok!"

"After he let you walk up right to him! If what Miu told me was right, he was probably owning you for most of the fight!" The gruff Master countered and rolled his eyes when Kenichi made no effort to deny that claim. "I really need to teach you Gamaku. That would have been perfect for your fight!"

"Gamaku?" He tilted his head.

It was Honoka that answered. "Uh, isn't that the technique that subtly shifts your center of gravity or something like that?"

Naruto confirmed that. "Mmhm. It is something like that - you don't meet many at a young age who can do it, however. It is a technique that is usually reserved for expert level fighters."

"I'm back!" Miu announced, "Alright, so we'll need to get your story together!"

Sakaki seemed relieved. "Good, I suck at acting this out." He gave the papers to Naruto who only glanced at them.

"Hm, Fuurinji Saiga." He muttered quietly and thought to himself privately, _"What a dangerous name."_

So when he saw the profession, he couldn't help but smirk a little bit. "Jet pilot. I'm afraid to say that I'm not well-versed in that profession, Miu-san. However, since it is completely natural for people to switch jobs due to the economic cycle, I believe I can easily convince your teacher that I somehow became a private tutor. My reason for doing so would have to do with something along the lines of, 'wanting to spend more time with my family' since being a pilot means traveling very often."

_"Such a logical thought process." _Kenichi thought to himself. "That sounds perfect." Even Miu nodded without any arguments.

"Perfect! Now, since we haven't gotten any practice with the two of you-" She pointed at both Shigure and Naruto, "-as a couple, this might be tough."

They just shrugged. Honoka was sure Naruto could pull off a convincing Husband, having been one before, if she remembered correctly. She suddenly wondered how her Master was feeling like at the moment and a bit of regret entered her at making him do something like this. _"He must have loved her. Was I wrong for doin-"_

He flicked her forehead again, eliciting a hiss from her. "Why do you always do that? I was in the middle of a very serious thought process!"

"Too serious." Naruto's smile put her at complete ease. "The tea is ready. So, Shigure-san, I don't think we've been properly introduced."

The woman nodded and turned her head to him. "Kousaka Shigure...I like weapons...but Miu took them all away from me." She pouted and then continued. "...You have taught her well...but she won't use her sansetsukon whenever I watch..."

His lips curled slightly and he glanced at his student. "I didn't teach her many techniques with that - since I do not specialize in staff techniques, let alone a sansetsukon. Had she chosen a jian back during our training, I would have happily taught her my sword-play. That was not the case though."

"Hey, my triple-staff is awesome! Besides, swords are too overplayed and cliche!"

Naruto and Shigure narrowed their eyes at her declaration. "No, they're not." They replied simultaneously.

"My Master was a swordsman." Naruto admitted first of all. "Before I developed Yunlongquan, I was primarily a sword-specialist."

The Chinese Master indeed confirmed that statement when he saw the disbelief on her face. "He was an excellent swordsman in his youth."

"I love...swords." Shigure defended her own stance. "I can do...anything with them..."

"You can cut through metal." Naruto pointed out.

"Fish, you can...cut fish..."

"My sword has never failed to defeat an opponent."

"It is like a...dance..."

"And we are unstoppable once we become one." They said simultaneously once again.

Honoka and Kenichi just shared a look while Miu smiled knowingly. "Does anyone find that creepy or is just me?" The youngest brunette asked. Just as she said that, a knock was heard on the large gates out front.

"Show time." Kenichi grinned. "Good luck, Master Shigure, Naruto-san."

Everyone but Naruto and Shigure left the room to observe while Miu went to retrieve the two teachers.

"You...are very comfortable with doing this..." She spoke in her usual monotone voice.

"At first, it was just as a favor for my disciple - who I kind of owe a bit for leaving her alone for a few years." He admitted. "But...when I heard that it was Shizuha's daughter that was in need of a slight favor, any doubt left me. It is the least I can do for an old friend."

"The old man...doesn't really tell her about them."

"It is no surprise." Was Naruto's solemn reply. "The Kuremisago Clan is not a very happy topic of conversation. He will tell her when she is ready - no, when they are ready. It is not my place to tell her. Though, I think she would be happy to hear a little bit about her mother from a different perspective."

They didn't speak anymore when Miu's school teachers walked in.

"These are my parents." Miu smiled, gesturing to Shigure and Naruto, who were sitting comfortably.

"I am Yasunaga Fukujirou, Miu's homeroom teacher." The old man bowed - he was a bald man with glasses and a stern face.

"And I'm Ono, his assistant." A bright and happy looking woman said, contrasting heavily with the man she was accompanying.

The blonde man smiled kindly in return. "I am Fuurinji Saiga and I teach at a local orphanage. I also tutor students privately on occasion after leaving my initial job as a pilot to spend time with my family." He sent a fake, affectionate glance at Shigure, who just took his acting in stride. Though despite knowing that it was an act, there was a slight tug on the corner of her lips, as if she was fighting a grin.

Kenichi and Honoka, who were watching the show along-side Kensei, were impressed by the man's experience.

"Fuurinji Shizuha..." Shigure muttered, before seeing a fly, and proceeded to massacre it with a hidden knife in her jacket. Miu's mouth dropped wide open, as did the others except Naruto, who made a valiant effort at keeping himself from bursting with mirth. "...Fashion designer..."

The two teachers just stared at her in shock. "My wife has Pteronarcophobia, and tends to react...radically in the face of a fly. My apologies." Naruto inclined his head, and in a surprise show of synergy, so did Shigure - who just played along. The two teacher shared a glance and looked back, one suspicious, the other befuddled.

_"Nice save!" _Everyone thought with immense relief.

"It's alright." The older teacher replied, "So, Saiga-san, you said that you taught children at an orphanage. Can you tell me what you teach?"

"I specialize in preparing children for when they initially enter grade school. I teach mathematics, literature, music and history." Naruto replied smoothly. "I teach whatever they ask of me."

"Music? Do you play an instrument?" Ono asked enthusiastically.

"Yes." The blonde nodded. "I can play the piano, all types of violins and the flute."

"Of course..." Yasunaga replied skeptically and then turned his gaze to Shigure. "Well then, Mrs. Fuurinji..."

"What is it, baldy?"

The old man twitched and tried - and failed - to hide his offense. Ono merely held back a giggle while Naruto allowed a curl of the lips to show his immense amusement. The others in the back face-palmed, as did Miu who seemed exasperated.

"What company do you work for? Can you tell me Fuurinji's grades last year and can you tell me her birthday?!"

"Dokokanon Corporation. Miu's grades were complete tens except for English and Health which were both nines respectively. She was born on January 14, at 10:40 in the morning."

Clean and concise, Naruto thought to himself. "She didn't cry much." He put in his two cents, not really knowing if this was true or not.

Ono raised her hand. "Oh! Where's the restroom?" She asked. Her superior mildly scolded her for acting like a child before she went off with Miu.

The elder man seemed a bit hesitant about something but continued to contemplate mentally. Naruto and Shigure shared a glance before nodding, they were nearly finished.

The coast was almost clear.

Until.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH HHH!" A loud scream was heard from the direction of the bathroom. Naruto sighed while Shigure shrugged, "Looks like he was found." The woman muttered, though if one listened closely, an undertone of amusement could be heard.

After this, chaos erupted as Apachai ran into the room, chasing Ono in order to apologies for scaring her - while the female teacher just kept screaming in fear.

Naruto and Shigure just sat still as Kenichi and Kensei rushed inside to calm Apachai instinctively. "What the hell is all of this?!" Yasunaga demanded, looking right at Naruto, who seemed to be enjoying the show. However, he couldn't get an answer as Kenichi had taken him by the hand to lead him away from a determined Apachai.

"Should we...?"

"Yes." Kensei immediately said and followed Apachai who was following Ono who was following Yasunaga. Once they got to the statue room, Naruto saw a large statue about to fall, but was stopped by a flash of yellow that surprised even him a bit.

Holding the stature from falling on the teacher was a large, muscular old man with blonde hair.

"Hello, Uzumaki Naruto." Turning around, Naruto was met with a man exactly his height and pupil-less eyes.

"Koetsuji Akisame, it's an honor."

"W-what's going on?!" Ono asked bewilderingly, "Isn't your name Fuurinji Saiga?!"

Akisame chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "Whoops."

"Don't worry about it, Hayato-dono is clearing it up with Yasunaga right now." He pointed to the old man who was using the power of persuasion to convince the teacher that everything at the dojo was perfectly fine. After flaunting Akisame's name a bit, they succeeded.

After everything was settled, the entire group found themselves bidding farewell to the two teachers.

"That was close." Miu breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so tired...but-" She looked over to Naruto who merely inclined his head.

"I will be in town for two weeks. I live at the orphanage, Honoka can show you the way if you do not know. You may stop by at any time."

"OR, we could just come here." Honoka countered. "It's surprisingly very fun when you come here, Master."

"Things went insane." Sakaki agreed with a smirk. "It was awesome." He had been in his room drinking but stepped in once Apachai was found out.

"Ho ho ho, your disciple is quite bold, Naruto-kun." Hayato chuckled heartily. "I must say, it is a surprise to see you again."

"Yes, of course, Hayato-dono. It has been a very long time." The younger blonde's arm traced a spot around his lower abdomen. "I still remember the strength of your Kazoe Nukite (Counted Overhand Stroke) to this day."

"And I remember your supreme palm technique as well. I believe you called it the Muji Dizeng Long Shen (Sighting of the Ascending Dragon God)." Hayato acknowledged back. "It is without a doubt, one of the more powerful techniques I've ever seen."

The group looked at both men with heightened curiosity. "Do you two know each other?" Honoka asked.

"We've met." Hayato nodded. "Your Master is a strong man."

"You flatter me." Naruto looked at the time and nodded to Honoka. "I'm afraid that I must go. It is getting late." He stood up and bowed very lightly, followed by his disciple.

Miu also stood up and went to accompany him to the door. As did a few others, barring Sakaki whom joined Akisame, Kenichi and Kensei who were all cleaning up the statue room.

"Do come back sometime." Miu muttered tiredly. The relief had served like a drug to her it seemed. "Honoka will bring you!"

"You bet!" Said girl admitted. Naruto just smiled and waved at the group, and gave Shigure an incline of the head before turning to leave. Honoka was walking backwards with him while waving at the Ryouzanpaku group.

Hayato just watched the man walk off in the distance along-side Honoka with a contemplating look on his face. "Grandfather?" Miu mumbled, seeing his face that was deep in thought.

"...Nothing, dear." He gave her a huge grandfather-like smile. "Always remember, that Ryouzanpaku is our family, even if they are not by blood. Isn't nice to have family to rely on?"

And with that the two joined Shigure who had walked back into the dojo.

* * *

END

I covered a lot of stuff here. A lot. It feels long, I think it almost rivals CH7 and the other chapter. And this was without a Chronicles.

In fact, I covered so much that I have to read the chapter to even remember what I wrote. I just know that it all made sense. When I was outlining the scene by scene (something I do before writing the full chapter) - I didn't think it would go this long. After all, there was only three scenes.

I know many of you thought that Sieg will have a personal connection to Honoka. That was only part right. They will only recognize each other. It is Naruto who will have a connection to him through a debt.

Scene two was Loki v Kakashi and as you imagined, Kakashi owned him. Enough said.

Scene three, the Home Invasion Chapter (CH77) - I might have rushed the ending but at that point, I thought I was dragging it out. I would have liked to add more Akisame dialogue but I don't think it would have fit well.

Surprisingly, Honoka had little to do this chapter.

The song is not real (at least I think so, since I made the words up). They are a reference to "Northern Hero" Guo Jing, "Southern Monk" Yideng (Emperor Duan), "Western Eccentric" Yang Guo, "Eastern Evil" Huang Yaoshi and "Central Imp" Zhou Botong. If anyone knows the story, I'm also referencing "Western Poison" Ouyang Feng, "Central Divinity" Wang Chongyang and "Northern Beggar" Hong Qigong. Personally, my favorite of them all is Huang Yaoshi...for obvious reasons.

Naruto's Master is a swordsman. Yes, oh yes it is. You know him but only I know how he's applied in this story.

Well, that's it for now I guess. I hope that this chapter confirms that this story is an official Naruto x Shigure. It should have been obvious at the very beginning actually.

I mean, who else is there? Kushinada? Pffft, yeah right. *Laugh*.

Have a nice day


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**"Marionette and the Manipulator"**

"Kneel."

Kakashi bowed his head in the darkness. His eyes were closed and faced away from the taller man who had called him in to report. It was a warehouse on the port that had been chosen as the meeting place - and it was currently around lunch time. The sun was shining brightly outside.

"Report."

The boy's tone was monotone as always. "I have managed to infiltrate 'Ragnarok' - as was planned." The man - who wore a simple black suit and shades - nodded and typed something into a laptop.

"How is their skill level?"

"Only three are worth noting." He admitted, thinking of the top three fists of Ragnarok. "The others are not even on mid-disciple level, except for the one called Hermit, who is slowly reaching a level close to mine."

"The leader?"

"I do not know his full capacity - however, I truly believe that he may stand on my own level - if not higher. I am not in a position to fight him at the moment."

"That is acceptable. Do not engage anyone in Ragnarok until you are given further orders. Their leader is supposedly someone called, 'Kensei', who according to our reports, is a member of One Shadow Nine Fist." His superior finished the report and put away the clip-board.

"I have additional orders that were approved by Lord Hokage."

When Kakashi made no move to speak, the man continued. "According to our sources, there has been reports of a masked Vigilante going around disrupting our dealings with the Chinese Mafia. Her last attempt was about a month ago - and supposedly, it is said that this Vigilante possesses immense skill."

"Name of the target?"

"I believe this person goes by the name, 'Xinku'." Kakashi widened his eyes by a fraction, but luckily, it was not seen since the light was hitting away from his eyes. "You are to capture this person and bring him or her back as a prisoner of Konoha. From then, our brain-washing specialists will get their work done."

His hand tightened and he nodded.

"Understood."

* * *

Tanimoto's Mansion - Backyard

"You're here again?" Natsu pinched his nose when he saw the brunette from the other day relaxing on his yard chair with a cup in hand. "I locked the door on you."

"It was a bad lock. Heh, you can't even take care of your own place properly. What if a robber sneaks in and steals your stuff? You won't be able to do anything then." She replied cheekily and took a sip of the tea she had prepared on the center of a table. It was positioned right next to a grey book with kanji on the cover. "Well, don't let me interrupt your little training, go on. I already finished mine earlier, so a boy like yourself shouldn't fall behind!" The taunt was not very subtle, if his gritting teeth showed anything.

Her words were the truth though. Honoka had just completed her training the morning before and was extremely exhausted. When her Master had told her that he wouldn't be holding anything back, the man had not been kidding - at all.

The girl had shivers just thinking about it.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Don't fall down!" Naruto yelled from where he was sitting. "If you fall, I won't catch you! Establish your balance, disciple!" _

_"I can't do that when you're flicking rocks at me!" She allowed herself to whine. Not only had her Master manage to sneak into her house, kidnap her and somehow find a way to force her body to practice moves in her sleep, he also had the gall to tell her that she was 'above average, for now'. That insult could not go unanswered._

_"In battle, there will be worse things flying at you than rocks." He answered back with ease. "In battle, there will be arrows, bullets and missiles!" _

_"Missiles?!" She sputtered, "What kind of fights have you been in?!"_

_"The Die-Hard type of fights." The blonde shrugged and flicked another rock at her, almost hitting her off the mountain ledge where he had forced her to stand still on while balancing a staff that held two pots on each end. It was also very windy - how the man managed to flick rocks at her with such perfect accuracy was astounding. "I told you to dodge!"_

_"If I move even a little, I'll fall to my death!" She breathed out, and tilted her head to barely dodge the pebble. "This is insane!" _

_"What, this?! This is nothing!" He laughed from the other edge of the ledge. "You never complained so much before about your training."_

_"At least at those times, I could actually see the ground!" And it was true. The ledge she had been standing on was completely dwarfed by morning mist - and the bottom looked endless. Not to mention there was some insane kind of feeling in the air that had was suffocating her a bit. She had no idea what that was. _

_"What does this training do?" Honoka had a small idea but wanted confirmation._

_Naruto took a few moments to gather a response. "Isn't it obvious? I'm teaching you something called, 'dodging efficiency'! Youngsters now-a-days think that flips and saults are what makes great fighters but in reality, they are a complete waste of stamina. This is also lower-body training! Your SDS (Sky Dragon Steps) still need a lot of work - it is too linear, and easy to telegraph."_

_A sea of sweat was pouring down his disciple's face. She was clearly approaching her limit. _

_"Alright, that's enough!" Honoka let out a sigh of relief. "Come over here." _

_The girl bent her knees at a slight angle and clumsily jumped - with an unreal-like hang time - over the ledges to the other side where her Master sat. They were almost two buildings apart in length. _

_"Your Qing Gong (Light Body Skills) also needs a lot of work - this is also one of the reasons why your SDS is still below average. At this rate, you won't even be a match for the higher level disciples in the world." The blonde sighed and pinched his nose. "You have been focusing too much on your external skills, disciple. You must do more meditation and mental training." _

_"Yes, Master." She bowed. _

_"Good. Now then, sit, I must tell you something during this short reprieve." _

_She stretched a bit and fell to the ground, waiting for him to begin. _

_"Now that we are completely alone, I must tell you of our enemies. Yes, it is our enemies now - not just mine. There have been reports that agents of Konoha will be stationed in Koryou, I do not know who or what but caution must be exercised. They do not know of you - yet - and I am sure that they are here to scout for talents to add to their disciple groups. That's no surprise since their last true attempt was about as pathetic as it came. They thought that my skills would have deterred in times of peace and due to my conversion to Katsujinken." Naruto smirked a little at that, "Martial Artists always improve."_

_"I wish I was as powerful as you, Master."_

_"Hmph! Well if you continue to ignore your mental training, you will never reach that summit!" He scolded her, "While your external skills are incredible for your age, it is not enough to reach the level of Master anytime soon. Tell me, do you remember the 'Master' you fought back at the port all those years ago?"_

_"Yeah." She giggled, "He called himself the flying batter or something stupid like that."_

_"Yes, he is as weak of a Master you will ever fight. His movements were too strict and limited - despite his massive build. While his limited movements were also attributed by his bulky build, another reason behind it is because of his weakness in mental, internal training. Let me tell you this right now: had he trained his internal skills properly, none of Haku's attacks back then would have hurt him - high powered or not. The person you fought had no skill in hardening his body so he was only about as good as an average Sumo Wrestler in terms of taking hits."_

_"It's kind of complicated." Honoka admitted with slight shame. "The theory behind the idea of 'strengthening' the inner body is hard to practice." She didn't want to point out that it was because he wasn't around to teach her - the girl refused to use that as an excuse. Why? Because fighters back then before modern times never even had the conveniences that she had. _

_"Disciples do not usually begin this sort of training until they are twenty or so." Her Master admitted, "But you are MY apprentice, and I hold you above those silly standards. No apprentice of mine should ever be limited by the expectations of society!" _

_"Of course!" She pumped her fists. _

_He ruffled her hair, "You are slowly but surely making your way into our world. The deeper you walk, the stronger your enemies will become. I have been observing the city, your current enemies are also quite dangerous."_

_"Ragnarok?!" Honoka scoffed slightly, "They're just a dumb gang! They might have a few decent fighters but we're on a different level."_

_"Wrong." He immediately retorted. "Ragnarok is a secret branch of another, more dangerous group known as 'Yomi'." _

_"Yomi?" She rubbed her neck in thought, "I heard from an underling that there was a group named that opposing Ragnarok."_

_Her Master nodded. "A curious situation indeed. I have been deeply investigating the groups that has caught Konoha's interest. Yomi are filled with martial artists who are in your age-range. And at the moment, most of them can defeat you in a fight." _

_"Y-you're kidding." She whispered. "That's unexpected."_

_"Always expect the unexpected. Ragnarok on the surface is a just regular gang, but the higher ups are fighters that have been recruited by real Martial Artists. Also, a member of Yomi is also the puppet leader of Ragnarok according to the reports of Konoha's scouts. They sent someone to infiltrate the group too."_

_"This is insane." Honoka hadn't expected a weak group like Ragnarok to have such powerful connections. Then again, she had been avoiding the leaders so far - not to mention tracking them down was a huge pain. Her Master had done it in under a week - it goes to show just how far behind him in everything she really was. _

_It kind of made sense concerning his past. Information gathering must have been essential._

_"The Martial Arts realm is unpredictable. No matter how powerful you are, there will always be an obstacle coming to face you - and not all problems can be solved by strength alone." He turned around to gaze at the misty mountain. _

_"Supposedly, there is another group like Ragnarok that is stationed in Tokyo. They are called, 'Titan'." _

_"Too far." She murmured, "They won't be a problem for us."_

_"Yet." He pointed out. "Anyway, breaks over! Now, you are to walk along the edge of that mountain on your arms! Legs are three times stronger than arms because people are constantly walking."_

_Honoka grimaced when she saw the fall down from the mountain._

_End Flashback_

* * *

"Oi!"

Honoka looked up and met Tanimoto's cold eyes. "My backyard isn't a day-care, go home or something." He scolded her.

"Sorry, I was just so bored by your crappy training that I fell into a flashback. It's no wonder you suck so bad - that you got injured fighting thugs."

"I didn't get injured from fighting thugs! It was a training mishap!"

"Ooooh." She made squiggly finger motions at him and stuck her tongue out. "Did the big baby idol get a paper cut?" Her cooing taunts elicited a twitch of annoyance from the older boy. "Seriously though, you need more stamina training boy. Who the hell gets tired after chopping sand bags for a few hours?"

"How would you even know?" He scoffed back, "You're just a dumb kid."

"So are you."

"I'm older than you."

"In body but not mind."

"I hate you."

"I love your hate." Was her sarcastic, yet unoriginal come-back. "Is this how you talk to all girls? It's no wonder you're single."

"I don't even know you and I just know that your parents must hate you."

"Actually, they love me!" Honoka beamed back at him like a kid who had just gotten their first candy bar. "I'm going to your High School next year so you'd better be ready!"

"-To transfer, you mean." He mumbled and wiped some sweat that dripped down his pores. "Since you are so keen on staying here for absolutely no reason, you could at least give me your name."

"Shirahama Honoka." His eyes glinted seriously for a moment, "Yeah, I know. My name is super awesome."

"No." Natsu deadpanned and closed his eyes - making her sulk a bit. "Anyway, if you think you're so good at Martial Arts, why don't you fight me?"

Honoka blinked and just stared at him. She then proceeded to bawl down in laughter while holding her stomach tightly. Natsu watched this reaction for about ten seconds before resuming his training with an angry furor for being looked down upon.

"Don't be insulted!" She yelled through her uncontrolled chortles. "I just reacted, I didn't mean it, kinda!"

The boy just ignored her and continued chopping down on the sandbags.

"You're rude." The brunette girl continued on, ignoring that he was ignoring her. "You asked for my name and didn't bother introducing yourself. Weren't you taught any manners?"

_"Nii-san, you shouldn't be so rude." _An angelic voice uttered from his distant memories. He sucked on his teeth. "Tch. Natsu."

"Natsu?" Her lips curled back indicating her distaste. "Doesn't suit you. I think I'll call you Nacchi instead! So much cuter."

"Do whatever you want." Natsu murmured.

The two stayed silent for a while after that. She merely relaxed for an hour so with a book in her hand. _"He's not bad. At least he doesn't bully people like the rest of the punks in his gang. Maybe there is hope after all." _Her fingers slowly caressed the edge of a page and flipped it to the next. It was sometime during this silence when the backdoor was slid open loudly.

"What are you doing here?" Natsu regarded the new visitor with an ice-like exterior, "And how did you get in?"

"Your lock is horrible." Loki reeled back a bit when the boy's violet eyes turned absolutely fiery. Little did the trickster know; Natsu had been told something similar earlier that day from an equally annoying person. Said person who said it was holding back her snicker behind a book.

"I didn't come here to make trouble! I promise!" The goggle-wearing boy stopped smiling. "I only came to deliver a message. Don't lay a hand of Shirahama Kenichi - he's mine!"

Honoka narrowed her eyes from behind the book. _"Did he just say, 'Honoka-san, please kick my ass?'"_

"I heard from Odin." The blonde suddenly smirked. "You recently lost your spot to a new guy. Someone named Kakashi, right?"

The trickster nodded and bit out, "I need to get some recognition back. If I can take out Shirahama, then I'll get my spot back for sure."

Neither of them noticed the girl's tight grip on her book. Loki had ignored her so far. _"Not all problems should be solved with strength." _She suddenly remembered the words of her Master. _"Ragnarok is a sub-group that is secretly a part of Yomi. I wonder..." _

The girl thrummed her fingers on the cover of her book before a little smirk briefly tugged on her lips.

"Shouldn't you guys be more worried about Yomi?" A plan formed in her head as she caught the attention of the Ragnarok Fists. "Aren't they a bigger threat to you?"

"Hm." Loki grunted and acknowledged those words. "Maybe. Who are you?"

"Honoka." A facade of innocence slid on her being, "Shirahama Honoka."

Natsu widened his eyes and looked in between the two. Loki had a small smirk forming on his mouth but what worried him was the obvious fake innocence on the girl's face - something the goggles wearing boy couldn't identify. _"What is she up to?"_

"Oh? Do you know someone named Shirahama Kenichi?"

"I'll answer that question if you answer mine about Ragnarok!" The girl shrugged and grinned when he nodded. "What's Yomi?"

Loki frowned. "I don't know how a kid like you knows about them. They are Ragnarok's - our gang, if you didn't know - greatest enemy. Only our Chief knows about them."

_"It's my win." _Honoka's fabricated face was the epitome of ditzy-ness. "Oooooh! OK. Some dummy in a restaurant was going all hurrah about how Ragnarok would totally own Yomi. When I saw your gloves, I just haaad to ask."

"Heh, what a weird kid you found, Hermit." The goggle-eyed boy looked at his right hand. "Oi, Number 20, tie the girl up."

"W-what are you d-d-doing!?" Honoka pouted when the older girl gleefully bounded her by rope. _"What the hell? This is horrible. Even a boy-scout can break from this!" _She mentally rolled her eyes.

Natsu just leered at her with suspicion. "Hm."

"Save ~ me, Nacchi." He had to admit, she was a decent actor. Not on his level though. She was overacting too much - it was like watching professional wrestling, _"But an imbecile like Loki wouldn't be able to tell the difference."_ While well versed in tricking people, the ex-Fourth Fist now 'Ninth' Fist had no idea how to read people in depth. Also, the fact that Honoka was a young grade-school girl helped fortify her act.

"You do know that you can't order me directly, don't you? Loki."

The trickster shrugged. "It was an order from Kensei-sama himself! Not even you can refute that, Hermit!"

_"Damn him." _Natsu glared heatedly at his 'comrade'. His eyes then went down to see a small grin on the tied-up girl's face. _"Just what are you up to?"_

"Hey, Number 20, send a picture of her to Shimpaku's website. That idiot Shirahama will be here in a flash!"

* * *

Koryou High School

Haruo Niijima took a large pointing stick and slammed it on the board. His troops were all stationed at their base in a classroom. "Listen up! I have urgent information that has to do with a sudden change of formation in Ragnarok's 'Eight Fists'. According to my spy, a new member has just been inducted in order to fill in the vacant spot that Siegfried-" A sinister smile crept on his face at the name of said person, "- left open. They must be desperate to keep their image up and thus, we must take advantage of this by striking at them!"

"..."

"..."

"...I call bullshit, Takeda!" Ukita smirked and pointed at his best friend Takeda, who merely grinned cheekily and revealed that he had indeed dropped a seven of diamonds. "Damn it!"

Haruo face-planted when he realized that his best three fighters weren't even listening. "Hey! This is important stuff I'm talking about here!"

"Shut up, Niijima." Kenichi muttered and dropped two cards into the pile. "Who cares?"

"You should!" The alien-looking boy retorted back, "They're aiming for you! You are the one that caught their fully interest! It's too late to turn back now, Kenichi!"

The boy considered that for a moment and sighed. "I guess you're partially right."

"Of course I am. Also, shouldn't you be a bit more worried? You didn't even beat Hermit, you just knocked him off a bus. I'll give you Siegfried but it was your friend, Miu, that beat Valkyrie."

"Barely beat Siegfried too if what Honey told me was right." Takeda chuckled in the background.

The brown-haired boy looked away and just continued to play cards.

"Where is Honey anyway? Weren't you going home with her today, Kenichi?" The blue-haired boxer sifted through the cards in his hand.

"I-I don't know."

The truth was, Kenichi had decided to take a personal break away from Ryouzanpaku - a decision he had made after taking part in Akisame's new technique memorization training. It had been nearly torture having to perform the 'Soutenshu' one thousand times with weight additions. However, it was the type of break in which he decided not to inform his Masters; meaning he ran away.

This also meant he was a bit too ashamed to face Miu.

"Didn't you say you didn't want anything to do with Shimpaku, Kenichi? Why are you here?" Ukita added in and placed down another card - ony for Takeda to call 'bullshit' to reveal his deception. ("Damn it!")

"I-I'm just making sure Niijima isn't doing anything heinous!" He replied indignantly. "Wait a minute, why are you two here?! I thought you didn't like Niijima!"

"Well...about that." The boxer scratched the back of his head, "I didn't really plan on coming." ("Me neither!" Ukita realized from behind him.)

The alien boy let out a sneaky smile. _"They may be stronger than me, but I am unsurpassed in the art of persuasion!"_

"We should use this time together to strengthen our bonds!" Was his cheesy pitch, "You guys do that while I check out some stuff!"

Ukita looked at where the boy was sitting, "A computer? What are you looking at?"

"Anything! I'm just surfing for now." The self-styled leader replied, "We live in an age of information. Computers and all of that are going to dominate the next generation! Speaking of information, have you heard, Kenichi?"

"Hm?"

"He's back! Natsu Tanimoto!" Haruo declared. "I heard he's been seen going around (as Hermit) and beating up any delinquent as a warm up to greet you!"

The brown-haired boy gritted his teeth. "I guess I have to beat him this time for certain."

"He's strong, Kenichi. If you're going to have to get in the ring with him, you will need to be mentally prepared!" Takeda lectured lightly. "Just because he's the 'Sixth' Fist - doesn't make him the Sixth strongest. His strength is not far from the top cards of Ragnarok - and he's definitely stronger than Loki...from my personal observations anyway."

"He's right." Haruo agreed and waved off Ukita's lame online dating questions. "So, what do you think?"

He pointed at the Shimpaku Alliance's website which had three (well positioned) photos of Kenichi, Takeda and Ukita. They were listed as the Assault 'Commander', 'Deputy' and 'Captain' respectively.

"What the hell is that?!" The three fighters began beating up a laughing Haruo, who only cackled at their reactions hysterically. "W-wait, guys! There's a reply!"

"What th- Someone actually goes to this dumb site?!" Ukita asked indignantly. "Who is it?"

"Hello, Viceroy-dono! I've just seen your homepage and I'm so inspired!" Haruo quoted with glee, making the others look on in disbelief.

"I-is it a g-girl?!" The average judo user sputtered. "Just curious."

"I'm an Officer of Ragnarok and I am called Loki."

"Ah ~ So her name is Loki-chan." Ukita grinned, along with the rest.

Before reality set in.

"WHAT?! LOKI?!"

"Loki from Fists?! What's he doing here?" Takeda asked in shock, "I think he's in the chat."

"He's asking for Kenichi." Haruo frowned and looked over, getting a cautious nod from the normally cowardly boy.

"Let's settle this here at the abandoned Church, he says." Ukita murmured, "It's obviously a trap!"

"There's an attached file." Haruo opened the photo and widened his eyes along with the other four. When Kenichi saw the picture, he immediately turned around and shot out the door as fast as he could. Takeda followed him along with Ukita and a trailing Niijima.

It was a picture of Honoka, tied up and had a her tongue sticking out as if she were mocking someone behind the camera.

Somewhere along the way, Miu saw him run and went to greet him before persuading him to go back to Ryouzanpaku - only for the boy to not even acknowledge her. _"What happened?" _She thought after seeing the fire in his eyes.

Takeda saw her and grimaced at her worried look. "Honoka-chan has been kidnapped by Ragnarok!"

"What?!" She exclaimed out loud. The memory of the brunette girl's fighting prowess flashed in her mind. "_Impossible! How?!"_

* * *

Abandoned Church - Inside

"Oi, Nacchi! My throat's killing me. I haven't drank since goggles over there took away my tea!" She whined loudly.

Natsu, who was now geared in his battle garment, bit his tongue on a snarky reply and nodded. Loki stopped him though. "You shouldn't wander. She'll be fine! It's not like we're torturing her...yet, anyway! Haha!"

The blonde immediately walked over and grabbed Loki by the collar. "Whoa there tiger, I'm just doing what Kensei-sama is asking of me!" He smiled cheekily when Natsu let him go. "I'm telling you, she'll be fine!"

"Will you two stop your Yaoi drama over there and get me some damn water!"

"She's surprisingly very vulgar once annoyed." Loki admitted. "I can't believe how lucky I am! You've certainly given me a good card to play with, Hermit! Also, don't bother disobeying me. My orders are right from Kensei-sama. All of them. Don't you have a life-long obligation to him by the way? Didn't he save your life?!"

Natsu gritted his teeth and turned away.

"You two are annoying." She let out a long-suffering sigh. "I don't know how anyone could deal with you two. And they say girls are more dramatic than boys. My butt!"

The sound of gates opening caught their attention.

"Heh, he's here." Loki nodded to Hermit, who just glared back before walking out to 'greet' Kenichi.

Honoka couldn't help but be a little worried for her brother. _"Ken's gotten better...but can he beat Nacchi? That's gonna be tough for him. Nacchi's no pushover."_

She kept her eyes on Loki like a predator that was waiting to spring herself. _"Soon..."_

* * *

Abandoned Church - Outside

"Oh?" Sakaki smiled widely when the two teenage boys stood off against the other. "It's finally starting! Quick, hand over the beer!"

"Hm..." Akisame sat cross-legged beside him on the tree top, "This will be a tough battle for our disciple."

The two Masters had caught sight of Kenichi running down to the Church sometime after picking up groceries for an irate Miu, who spent every minute scolding them for working Kenichi too hard to the point where he ran away. They ignored most of her words for the most part.

Back to the fight.

"Wanna bet on the winner?" The Karate Master asked as he chopped off the tip of the beer, "This should be good!"

"That wouldn't be proper." Akisame replied easily.

"Where is Honoka, Hermit?!" Kenichi demanded fiercely. Natsu didn't answer and got into a preemptive stance. "I cannot believe how much hate I feel right now! If you've even plucked a single hair from her head; I'm going to crush you!"

"That's fine! I'm fine with you hating me! Hatred is power, that's what I was taught by my Master! Ma Sougetsu!"

_"Sougetsu?! Isn't that...?!"_

"Martial Arts exists for the sole purpose of destroying people you dislike! And I don't like you!" Hermit declared and took the first step forward. Kenichi got into his fighting stance - a basic Karate one - and blocked an incoming chop by kicking his feet up to meet the hand stopping it cold. The hooded fighter stepped back and went for a sweep kick but Kenichi brought down the feet he had up in the air and meet once again with Hermit's own.

Pivoting forward, Natsu aimed a side-ways chop that was sustained by Kenichi's forearm - and then Kenichi slid his hand around the boy's his wrist to go for a throw - only for Hermit to aim a spear strike from mid-air at his neck forcing his release. After he lost the grip to dodge the attack, the brown-haired disciple jumped back a bit to gain some footing and stared down his opponent.

Without another word, Kenichi marched forward and launched a straight punch at Natsu who effortlessly caught it in his palms. "Too easy!" Kenichi growled and used another step in while turning in his held arm.

"Dee Sork Toron (Turning Elbow Strike)!" Hermit dodged the converted elbow strike with a twist of his body and swing his body around Kenichi - aiming another chop to the boy's head.

"Kaminari Ogama o Yurasu (Swinging Lightning Scythe)!" Just as his hand made contact, the blonde frowned when he saw his attacked blocked by Kenichi's hand.

"As if I'd fall for that move again!" That had been one of the couple attacks he had been hit with on the bus. His hand wrapped around Hermit's wrists once again and he went for an over the shoulder throw. "Oogoshi (Over Shoulder Throw)!"

Before the boy got slammed down on the ground though, Natsu managed to chop at Kenichi's mid-section opening - eliciting a grunt of pain that was shared by the blonde once he hit the floor. "Keh!" Hermit rolled away before Kenichi could manage to tie his arms with a Jiujitsu technique.

"Hey, our disciple isn't half bad." Sakaki grinned excitedly, "He's definitely gonna win as soon as he starts using Karate! Obviously Jiujitsu isn't enough."

Akisame resisted the urge to roll his eyes. _"What a simpleton."_

* * *

Koryou - Street Way

Takeda frowned when he saw just how many clones of Loki that were surrounding them. "Seventeen?! That's a bit ridiculous. And why does the fat one over there have a black eye?"

Miu gritted her teeth. "We need to get to Kenichi! There's no time for this."

"Yeah!" He looked around and saw that the clones were just flowing out like rats. "Guess we'll have to fight our way through. Oi! Get off of me!" The shades-wearing boy shook off a cowering Niijima - who immediately hid behind a trash can next to a nearby orphanage. The Loki clones took out several retractable pipes and charged at the group of three fighters with the intent to harm.

Miu dodged a strike and landed four punches at the clone's face, easily knocking him down and spun away to dodge another, followed by a flying kick that knocked the opponent over the river way. "Takeda-san, Ukita-san! Watch out, those pipes can stun people!" She had felt the sensation during the first dodge.

The boxer nodded. He weaved in a side-ways motion and got to one of the clone's side. "Phantom Left Liver Blow!" The shadow coughed up saliva and collapsed in pain. The blue-haired boy then turned around just in time to lean his head backwards to dodge an incoming horizontal strike. When the clone, it was the fat and unrealistic one, threw a straight punch - Takeda stepped into it and landed his counter. "Cross Counter Flash!"

"There's too many of them!" Ukita yelled out as he threw one over his shoulder - but the wounds on his chest showed that he had not dodged everything. "We need help!"

"We're gonna crush you here!" The lead clone roared out as a battle cry. "For Loki-sama!"

Just as they were gonna run at them again, they all heard the sound of a door opening and the clearing of a throat.

"Excuse me, will you all please take your fight somewhere else? You are disrupting my lesson."

Both groups turned to see a young feminine man (who was older than them by maybe a few years) cooling himself down with a retractable fan. ("It's too hot out today." He murmered with a little exasperation) The man had long dark hair, a blue kimono with a falling-snow design and sandals.

"We can do what we want!" One of the clones yelled back. "You're in our way!" He continued when he saw the man calmly walk, while still fanning himself, into the middle of the battle.

"I **must **insist-" His voice turned icey in a moment - a complete contrast from his softer one from before. "- that you take this elsewhere. You are bothering the children." He pointed to the orphanage.

The lead Loki clone gritted his teeth and looked to another from behind him. "Take him out too! We need to follow Loki-sama's orders no matter the cost!"

"Watch out!" Miu yelled out and got ready to intercept, but she stopped when he exuded no worry at all.

Pipe drawn, the Shadow charged with a stabbing blow at the man which was easily - and surprisingly - stopped stiff against the metal fan in his hand. The dark haired man sighed loudly. "I see."

"Who's that?" Takeda asked with mild curiosity. ("His kimono is so cute." Miu realized with stars in her eyes.)

"I don't know!" Ukita smiled. "But she's about to move."

_"She?" _Takeda quirked a brow at his best friend, _"That's a he." _While the older man could be called feminine, he certainly didn't feel like a woman overall. Takeda didn't really know how to explain how he just knew - it was instinct.

The man suddenly appeared next to his attacker and hit the back of the boy's neck with his fan, which was now retracted, and knocked him out-cold.

_"Incredible speed. He's faster than me by far!" _Miu watched the random stranger wipe out the legion of clones effortlessly. He had dodged all of their attacks with complete ease and whipped his fan around like a sword - hitting or stabbing the weak points hard enough to just knock out the thugs. _"He's definitely a Master level!" _

"Holy-"

In a matter of seconds, the Loki clones had been defeated. Standing in the middle of the steaming pile was the man who was now back to fanning away the heat from his face. "T-thank you!" Takeda sputtered after witnessing the complete stomp down.

The man shrugged. "You're welcome. Also could you call down the police to apprehend them? Don't mention me though!" He smiled and winked conspiratorially.

"S-sure!" Ukita nodded and blushed. _"She's so pretty." _

"Thank you!" Miu bowed and turned to the rest. "Let's go!" They nodded and went to find the trail. From behind the trash-can, Niijima pinned a calculating glare on the stranger but eventually went to follow the others.

_"Grandfather was right..." _Miu thought as she ran. _"You will never know when you will meet a Master."_

Haku watched the group go with a curious look on his face. "Hm. That girl wasn't a bad fighter at all. Reminds me of Hona-chan a bit..." He uttered to himself, "Which reminds me, where is she anyway?"

The Caretaker shrugged and walked back in the building resume his duties.

* * *

Abandoned Church - Outside

"See, see!" Sakaki chuckled quietly enough to not be heard. "That was a Karate punch! I was right, it's Kenichi's win. Had we bet, I would be winning right now."

"Hm." The Jiujitsu Master tilted his head, "I disagree. How about we make that bet now...? I will bet on the hooded boy."

"What?"

"Kenichi-kun has a handicap." He explained, "I'm sure you've noticed it too."

Their disciple currently had his opponent in a standing arm-lock. Sakaki nodded grudgingly and muttered, "Hollow Truth? Pah, what nonsense." But he did admit that at Kenichi's level, it was critical.

"You're too naive. And so is your fighting style." Hermit twisted his body and show his level of flexibility by striking back at Kenichi while arm-locked. Taking advantage of the boy's surprise, the blonde stepped in and launched two strikes - one to the head, the other to the body - and only one was avoided. Kenichi had grabbed the one aimed for his head but couldn't stop the body-blow. _"So this is how Tsukuba felt when I used Yamazaki."_

Seeing his opponent stagger backwards in pain, Hermit charged once again. _"A palm strike?" _Kenichi moved to stop it but was left defenseless when it proved to be a feint - twisting down, the hooded-boy whipped back up and chopped right through Kenichi's clumsy guard, hitting right in the jaw.

"Inside Hollow, Outside Truth." Natsu quoted robotically. "Feints are apart of high level fighting. I get irritated when I see naive, honest fighters like you. Justice? Truth? Those are nothing but burdens. What's important is deception and power; with those, one can obtain enough power to control others!"

"When I was young, I lived in an orphanage until I was six. At that age, I was adopted by a very rich and cold-blooded man. I didn't like him but I needed his money so that doctors could treat my sick sister. I played my part perfectly! I was taught to be cold and calculative - to never show emotion that was below me. My 'father' never laughed. Not even once. But one day..." He paused briefly, "He found love. He fell in love with a Lady-Doctor that was employed under his company. For three years...life was like a dream."

"And then...he died. They said it was of unknown cause - but he had actually been poisoned by my 'mother' - the person who also who never actually treated my sister at all. My sister, the most important person in my life, had only become sicker and sicker as the days passed and soon, she also died. All because of one person's greed. However! I...am grateful. My eyes are now open to the world's true, cruel nature! What truly determines strength are 'lies' and 'power'!"

Hermit went to finish off Kenichi with a downward chop but was blocked by the boy's forearm. "I see. Now I understand. If lies and power are all you live by, then only conflict and suffering await you." It was apparently Kenichi's turn to go on a lecture. "My Karate instructor told me that Fists speak louder than words! The moment you cross fists with someone - shy or not - you will know exactly what type of person they are!"

"You are surprisingly eloquent when you are drunk." Akisame teased the embarrassed Sakaki. ("Do I really say stuff like that?" He muttered.)

"Now...I see that it wasn't you who kidnapped Honoka!" Natsu gritted his teeth. The girl had went to him! It wasn't his fault. "You aren't the type of person that would stoop so low, Hermit. I know that much. It must have been Loki."

Natsu widened his eyes as he watched the boy literally inflict harm upon himself in order to wake his beaten body. "Unbelievable! You can still stand?!"

Hermit was ignored. "It is obvious that you lack 'belief'! You have no one to believe in, and that's why I'll win this fight! You lack a soul that can believe in the in friends and teachers!"

"A soul that lacks belief? What nonsense! I had that...my sister...had-" He pursed his lips and glared down Kenichi.

They both entered their respective stances and squared off once again.

"Honoka is waiting for me, believe that I'll be there!"

"You're too optimistic and naive!"

Kenichi saw his chopping motion come down and stepped in right - his toes pinned together. "Kouho!" He ducked and the chop missed his head, right as his foot pivoted out, "Haiho!" The brown-haired boy swept down Hermit's lead foot while simultaneously dropped a sharp elbow on the chest. However, the following blow missed when Natsu spun his body away at the very last moment.

"Good move. Very basic." Sakaki muttered, "Wait a minute, none of us taught him that!"

"Heh, our disciple sure is interesting." Akisame agreed.

Hermit went back on the offensive and feinted a low strike - one that Kenichi fell for - and began to switch high only for it to be caught by both of the opponent's hands. Natsu watched as Kenichi aimed a double palm at his chest but blocked it just at the right moment, "Soutenshu (Double Palm)!"

"You know Bajiquan too? Keh, like it matters - you didn't even bother feinting. I can block those attacks with my eyes closed!"

"Idiot." Kenichi retorted, "Don't be silly." He re-positioned himself and re-engaged Soutenshu once again. Surprised by his sheer strength, Hermit's guard was broken in an instant as the attack pushed him back treading and to the ground.

"I train my ass off every day to achieve that strength! I don't need something foolish like 'Hollow Truth'!"

"Well done..." Akisame smiled wryly. "Maybe he's not such a waste of time after all. I'm seeing good things."

Back to the fight, Hermit was speaking. "I don't get it. I see Karate, Jiujitsu, Muay Thai and some Kempo! Just who the hell are you?!" Despite his loud tone, there was a blood-thirsty smile on his face.

"I am the disciple of the Strongest in History!"

Just as they were going to continue, a voice spoke up. "I like that!" It was a feminine voice. Tied up with rope was Honoka with a small grin on her face. "That was such a cool line, Ken'. See, I told you that your best skill was making cool hero lines!"

"H-honoka!" Standing behind her was Loki who also had a smirk. Though Kenichi was confused as to why his sister was smiling as well. "W-why are you-"

"I believed in you. Well done." Her eyes softened. "Just beat Nacchi over there and don't worry about me! This punk over here won't do a thing to harm me!"

Loki ignored his hostage. "A splendid match indeed. Don't let us interfere with your fun! Go ahead! I promise, I won't harm your sister until one of you is defeated."

"B-but-" She just gave him that look. "Alright. I-I'm glad that you're OK."

"Just focus on Nacchi over there! He's pretty tough!"

On top of the tree, the two Masters looked on.

"She's planning something." Akisame hummed, "There is not a single tense muscle on her body. What's going on?" Sakaki shrugged. As far as he was concerned, as long as the girl was confident that she wasn't in danger, then that was good enough for him. All he wanted to do was watched his student fight.

On the ground, Natsu narrowed his eyes at the girl. _"Loki is not the type to let an opportunity go like this." _It was more than a little fishy. _"What did she say to him back in the Church? Whatever - I need to focus on the fight."_

"What is the meaning of this, Loki?"

"Just following orders from Kensei-sama, Hermit."

Honoka contemplated on those words. _"Kensei...where have I heard that before? Definitely not Ma Kensei - but another one."_

Kenichi looked at his opponent and rose a brow at the boy's distracted gaze. Loki had noticed as well.

"Worried about the girl, Hermit? I'm surprised. With the way you talk to her, I would have thought that you would prefer her being out of the way."

Natsu gritted his teeth when he saw Loki hold a sharp knife to Honoka's neck.

"This is dirty Ragnarok! Let her go!" Kenichi roared from where he stood. "How can I know you won't do anything."

"I'm a man of my word." Was his flimsy response.

Just then, multiple footsteps were heard entering the Church. "Kenichi!" Miu looked up to Honoka who seemed to be getting bored very quickly. "Are you alright?!"

"Yeah. Don't worry about me." She smiled and looked to Kenichi. "Ken'. Just win!"

He nodded and charged Hermit. Both fighters were already at their limits due to the earlier face offs. Hermit charged first and threw a chopping feint that was followed by an elbow - but Kenichi had seen this before and he tilted his head away to dodge. Kenichi then spun behind Hermit and aimed a backwards elbow. "Sok Klab (Reverse Elbow)!"

The attack hit the boy directly but at the same time, Hermit had landed a chop at Kenichi's open head, knocking both boys to the ground. The two attacks landed within close time intervals. Staggering back up, Kenichi stared down Hermit with fiery eyes, but a tired body. _"I'm so tired." _His vision was buzzed.

As was Hermit. The damage of Kenichi's elbow was incredible - he felt the blood dripping from the back of his head down his spine. _"He's still standing..."_

"Hahahahaha!" Loki clapped, "Alright, I think that's enough."

"What?!" Miu exclaimed, "What are you talking about?!"

The trickster ignored her and looked at his assistant. "Number 20, hold the knife." He jumped down and drew a retractable pipe. The goggle-eyed boy charged Kenichi and began hitting all over the place.

"What is this, Loki?!" Hermit tensed when ten clones appeared from the forest. "Your Shadows?!"

"You should know me better than that, Hermit! I wasn't going to sit back and let you take all of the glory - not after I lost my seat to that brat! No..." He looked to his minions. "Take them all out! And Hermit too!"

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"The moment you hesitated to fight Shirahama was also the moment I knew that you would eventually turn traitor! You have a wavering resolve, Hermit! I can't let you stay in Ragnarok!" Loki laughed as he continued beating down Kenichi who was taking the hits with a Karate stance. "I'll take your place! Ninth Fist? What a joke! I won't be looked down upon like that!"

Hermit gritted his teeth and prepared himself for the Shadows. "Damn it."

"We can't fight them until Honoka is safe!" Ukita realized and looked up to where the girl was at.

Or rather, was previously at.

In the place where Honoka 'was' being held 'hostage' was another goggles-wearing girl with a bloody nose and twisted arm laying on the ground unconscious. "W-what? Where's your sister, Kenichi?!"

Hermit shakily rose a guard when the Shadows charged him but stopped when Honoka jumped in between with a smile - although, she was still tied up. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it, Nacchi?"

"Y-you? Weren't you?" Natsu muttered tiredly.

Before he could react, Honoka dodged a punch and swept the Shadow's feet from beneath him with a low kick. "Oi, a little help here!"

Nodding, Natsu untied her ropes and narrowed his eyes in realization. "So that's what you were planning."

"Planning?" She feigned openly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Manipulative little witch. What did you say to Loki inside of the Church? He was never one to be so...impatient." From what Hermit remembered, the trickster was never one to go that far in his plans where he dirtied his own hands. She had obviously planned for Loki to betray Hermit so he would quit Ragnarok. She had also planned for Loki to bring out his trump card a little earlier than planned so they would have enough energy to beat them.

"It didn't take much. He's surprisingly very easy to lead around by the nose." Honoka replied and stared down the other Shadows. "Besides, my training this morning was rough. Now my energy is back."

Miu saw her surrogate younger sister get freed by Hermit and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Such a deceptive person our disciple's sibling is." Akisame acknowledged. "I have a feeling however that her plan is not done yet."

Honoka spun in between two attacks - both coming from different angles - and landed an elbow to both their chests in mid-air. She turned around to see Kenichi squaring off with Loki. "Ken'! Finish him!"

"What?! How did she get free?!" Loki sputtered and didn't notice Kenichi putting two hands parallel on his chest.

"Mubiyoshi (Zero Beats)!" The trickster was punched so hard that he flew back into a bare tree - blood spilled from his mouth from the sheer power of the attack. "I'll never forgive you for pulling all of this, Loki!"

The trickster - completely beaten in one hit - looked up and growled. "Damn you Hermit, Shirahama!" All hope for his scheme was lost. "D-damn it..."

"Oi! Take him hostage, he might know something about Ragnarok!" Haruo commanded immediately. Takeda and Ukita, who were completely flabbergasted by Honoka's performance, barely managed to acknowledge him.

_"Was she...always that good?" _Takeda thought to himself as he watched Ukita approach the downed opponent. _"Wait, her movements are familiar!"_

The blonde girl gazed at her surrogate sister. Feeling the older girl's gaze, Honoka looked up and gave her a smiling thumbs up.

Miu smiled back and looked over to Kenichi - who was resting by a tree next to Hermit. _"They really are siblings."_

"Not so tough, are ya'?!" Ukita smirked and went to pick up Loki. However, the moment he bent down, a swift kick launched him back into the ground. Takeda turned his head up and saw a silver-haired boy with a scarf covering his lower-face stand before the trickster.

"Who are you?!" Ukita coughed out. Kakashi didn't acknowledge him and went to punch at him at a speed that the boy couldn't follow. He closed his eyes and braced for the impact but it never came. So he opened his eyes.

Standing in front of him and holding Kakashi's punch with both her hands was Kenichi's little sister. "Huh?"

"Stand back." She told him. "This one is tough!"

"Hm." Kakashi pulled back and slid back to Loki to take out the pipe from his grip. Kakashi charged her at enhanced high speeds - forcing Honoka to glide backwards and dodged all of his swinging strikes while observing his rhythm. _"He has a lot of skill with stick techniques, and great arm speed. I don't even have time to draw my staff."_ She took a one-step jump and used her other foot to push herself up from a nearby railing to the balcony. Her opponent followed her easily, retracted the pipe and threw a high kick at the brunette - that was tilted away with turn of the girl's hand.

"What th- Is that really Honoka?" He panted deeply. Though tired, the boy kept his eyes on every single movement of the fight. None of them expected Honoka of all people to engage a random fighter at such a high level.

_"She's a good fighter!" _Haruo observed from where he was crouching, _"How did I miss this before?!"_

"Yes." Miu said, "She's strong, Kenichi."

"I mean, I knew but-" The blonde girl just smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "She's amazing."

"Indeed." Hermit coughed beside him. "I can't believe you didn't know your own sister was that good. You really are as stupid as you look!" The brother scowled at him.

"Wow! This is like watching a Kung-Fu movie!" Takeda commented, pointing at their explosive attacks.

Honoka dodged his one-two and stepped into his guard. "Longzhimao (Dragon Spear)!" She jumped and moved to strike his chin from below with her knee - which was blocked as expected. However, the following swinging elbow that would usually land was also blocked. Kakashi took advantage of her open-state and grabbed her arm with both his hands. He turned around and moved to throw her off the balcony.

Before that happened though, the girl's open hand reached out to grip the railing and maintained her position. Honoka reversed Kakashi's advantage and used her falling momentum to throw him in turn over the railing.

_"To be able to manipulate the center of gravity so skillfully at such a young age..." _Akisame observed, "She's been trained well."

"It's no surprise considering who taught her." Sakaki replied and watched the fight with earnest. "This is better than TV."

Honoka jumped in mid-air with him and connected two fingers. "Zhipao (Finger Gun)!" Kakashi turned to face her and skillfully deflected her array of two finger piercing strikes with both arms multiple times. In an instant, his eyes caught a weakness and split apart both her attacking arms wide by knocking them sideways with his legs. In that same instant, Kakashi gripped the girl's neck and arm in between his legs in a triangle-hold.

All in mid-air.

"Hasu Saisho Kōsoku (Lotus First Restraint)!" The silver-haired boy twisted and choked her neck. Honoka's eyes began to droop from his tight vice-grip and her vision began to blur almost instantly. In the end, it looked at if he was looking to drive her body head first into the ground like a falling sword.

"NO! HONOKA!" Kenichi screamed out, "Help her!"

Before Miu could respond, Honoka gritted her teeth to force herself awake to get re-positioned in the air. Her was feet now facing the ground - the two fighters were still far from the ground. _"Remember disciple, Qing Gong is key for this to work! Make yourself light, like a flower petal breezing in the wind!" _Time began to slow down in her mind as focus overcame her - and then she breathed out calmly.

"Is that..." Sakaki muttered. "Too bad Kensei isn't here. He could explain this one."

"Luckily for you, I did travel China during my younger days. Qing Gong (Light Body Skill) is usually reserved for Experts. So for her to know it is surprising, I admit. Uzumaki Naruto must have something planned for her. But what it is, I wonder."

_"Ki is a most magnificent wonder of the human body." _The words of her Master filled her thoughts. _"At first glance, it is nothing more than energy flowing through you. In fiction, people romanticize it as a special power that only the best can use to destroy buildings with. This is not completely correct. Ki by itself cannot do a thing without power (unless used during certain conditions). Without a strong body, it is no better than air. But with a strong enough mind and belief, it can be channeled to assist you in a time of need." _

_"What do you mean, Master?" _She had asked.

He had smiled enigmatically at that time - almost four years ago. _"There is no greater opponent in the Sky than a Dragon, my disciple. If used properly, ki can be tangible for a brief moment! So in that moment, you channel it below your feet...and you can achieve..."_

_"The Sky Dragon's Step!" _Honoka kicked her feet down and like magic (at least to the absolute shock of the other disciple leveled fighters), she hopped up from mid-air and regained the high position - the strength of her opponent's grip weakened enough for her to break out. A moment later, she used her opponent as a foothold to gain a higher altitude. Kakashi widened his eyes at the phenomenon.

_"What...?" _

Despite his conditioning to expect unexpected things, nothing prepared him for that. Honoka's smile turned absolutely feral and she began to spin in mid-air with a drill-like motion at Kakashi. "Tianfang (Sky Fang)!" The kick landed right on Kakashi's abdomen, or so it seemed, and they fell to the ground hard enough to erupt some nearby dust. When the dust revealed, it showed the boy had managed to tilt away most of the damage by back-handing away one of the legs but he couldn't fully dodge the other one.

He wasn't defeated yet but for the first time in a long time, Kakashi tasted blood in his mouth - and the person was actually someone his age. The young assassin gripped both of the girls legs and looked to put her in a submission - but that was foiled when she jumped back to regain her stance.

"You're a lot better than I expected. No...you surpassed my expectations! I can't believe I almost lost to someone who isn't Renka..." Honoka breathed hard, her stamina was spent from their high speed fighting pace. However, seeing him also tired out made the girl feel a little better - he also spent too much energy on his explosive offensive from earlier. "I admit, you almost had me up there. That was a close call!"

"Did..." Haruo rubbed his eyes and shook his head. "Did I just see that!?"

"She flew!" Takeda pointed with his eyes widened fully now. "She flew!"

"No..." Miu trembled in delight at the show of skill. "She 'stepped' on the air would be a better way to say it."

"...Am I dreaming?" Kenichi shivered, "Isn't that...you know, IMPOSSIBLE?!"

"Grandfather once said that nothing is impossible." She replied sagely. "You just need to 'believe' it can happen. It must take a lot of mental focus to even do that one step!"

_"Impressive." _The resident Jiujitsu Master looked at the spot where she had moved to.

"I've seen some people do something like that before: take steps in mid-air. But that was more blatant." Sakaki scratched his chin, "What a useful thing to know."

"In theory, she can really fly - or as Miu said it, 'step' on the air itself. Ki is only tangible for a very short moment as soon as it is expelled from the body and thus - it cannot really do anything more than be flashy. But with perfect timing, focus and strength, it can be used as a stepping stone in the sky." Akisame explained, "So that is the famed Sky Dragon's Step of Uzumaki Naruto. To be able to freely maneuver one's self from any position in the air - trapped or not - is not something to take for granted. I guess his title as Aukuang (The Dragon Lord of the East Sea) is not without good reason."

"The what?" Sakaki was never really one for names, "Never mind. We'll take about it later."

_"I've never seen anyone in my life do that." _Kakashi tried to rack his brain in an attempt to remember any files or reports about 'flying' techniques. _"Nothing. Just...what is going on?" _

"It's time to end this." Honoka looked as if she were going to jump so Kakashi cut off his lingering thoughts and prepared himself.

But that was not meant to be.

A clap was heard from the gates of the church and standing there was a purple-haired young man with glasses and a sharp white suit. "That's enough." He declared. "Fenrir, could you get that imbecile Loki over there? He's embarrassed himself enough for today."

His newest fist never kept his eyes off the girl but nodded anyway. "Cease Fire. For now."

"For now." Honoka agreed and dropped her stance. "Another day."

"Fenrir?" Haruo muttered in question. "Wait, that's the new Fourth Fist of Ragnarok?! He's just a kid!"

The boy ignored him and went to pick up the downed trickster. Before leaving though, the boy turned to the brunette. "Hatake...Kakashi."

"Shirahama Honoka."

'Fenrir' nodded and jumped over a nearby fence with the larger boy hung on the shoulder. He still held a slight limp but it was nothing he couldn't fight through.

Odin turned to look at the others - who were all noticeably tense - and faced Hermit first. "With all that has just happened-"

"I have decided to resign." Natsu bit out, "Kensei-sama always told me to walk my own path...so that's what I will do."

Ryuuto merely looked at him with apathetic, cool eyes. "Very well. It is unfortunate but I guess that this is where we part ways. I respect you enough to allow you this short reprieve, Hermit. Next time we meet; it will be as enemies."

The blonde inclined his head slightly to Odin but otherwise, had no reaction.

The Leader of Ragnarok then turned to Kenichi who kept a cautious look upon him. "It's been a while, Kenichi."

"...Huh?" The boy seemed dazed. "Do I know you?"

"Guess Hermit really beat you bad enough to kill your memory. Then again, you were always muddle-headed." He frowned then shrugged. "Nonetheless, let's fulfill that old promise sometime soon, old friend." Odin then walked away and turned his head slightly to acknowledge Honoka, who just kept a curious gaze at him.

_"She's gotten big. Not to mention, a good fighter." _The girl had been a baby the last time they met in person - Ryuuto doubted that she even remembered him. He shook his head solemnly.

The group of protagonists watched as the boy walked off and disappeared past the gates silently.

"Seriously, do I know him?"

"How would we know, Kenichi?!" Ukita replied. "Maybe he's crazy."

Takeda laughed and held his sides. "What a weird day." Beside him, both Kenichi and Hermit fainted dead into the ground at the same time. The accumulated damage had finally gotten to the both of them.

"Oh boy."

"Haha! I totally won the bet, Akisame!"

"Wait a minute! How long were you two up there?!" Miu yelled out. "Why didn't you help!?"

"A Master never interferes in their disciple's battles." Sakaki replied wisely. "Besides, everything was under control. Kenichi's younger sister was completely OK the entire time."

"Yep." Honoka nodded with a tired grin. "I think I'll head home now. This has been a long, long day..." The group looked at her like she was some specimen. "What?"

"You flew." Takeda walked up to her, along with Haruo, and they both bowed. "Teach me!" They yelled.

Miu just laughed at their simpleness and looked at Akisame - who was carrying Hermit while Sakaki had Kenichi on his shoulder.

"Boys."

* * *

Yokohama

"When was the last time we got to drink like this?" Hakubi poured in more tea into his glass. "Times sure do...change, don't they?"

"Indeed." The blonde agreed. "To think that my disciple would become so strong, so fast. I'm kind of happy."

The two drank their glasses before talking again. "So, did you need anything?"

Naruto regarded the old man silently and subtly checked if there was anyone around to listen in. "...I received a message from my Godfather the other day. He told me something that you will be interested in."

"Old Jiraiya? That old coot is still alive? I'm impressed." Hakubi chortled in delight. "So, what did he say?"

Naruto's eyes darkened for a moment. "Yami's weapon division won't be on the move for a while."

"And why is that?" Hakubi asked immediately. "Why do you treat that as bad news?"

"...I have no personal opinion on the matter." Naruto replied. "It was the location that bugged me. They won't be moving for a while because they just lost fifty men in one day. Apparently...they got a little too aggressive."

"What does that mean?"

"'Yesterday, my scouts told me that a village near Mt. Hua discovered that their local river had been soaked in blood. So...to investigate, they sent villagers up to the stream and found fifty men slaughtered beyond belief. Their bodies were nearly unidentifiable...yet, their wounds were easily reported to have been made by a sword."

"I know what you're thinking now..." Hakubi's carefree look turned serious. "It could have been anyone, Naruto."

"No..."

The blonde took down another gulp of tea.

"I just know it. Jiraiya wouldn't send me a message if he didn't have suspicions as well. The man who Yami tried to recruit was _him_." Hakubi grimaced slightly and rubbed his bald head in thought.

"So it's him..."

"The only man in the world to have inherited the Nine Swords of Dugu." Naruto nodded and reiterated. "The 'Sword Devil' of Mt. Hua and the Lord of Demon Sect, Kurama. My Master."

He turned out the window to see that autumn had been arriving earlier than expected - the leaves had already begun to turn red.

* * *

END

Another super long chapter where my fingers are tired by the time I was finished. Yes, I am upping the ante for Yami's weapon division. They are so weak compared to the unarmed division that I just needed to give them a little something...well, I didn't give them something 'little' if you see. I do feel bad about swagger jacking Dugu's nickname like that but I can't help it...it's so cool!

11,000 words. If you see grammar mistakes, let me say, this chapter is humongous.

Honoka vs. Kakashi. Hermit vs. Kenichi. Miu, Takeda and Ukita vs. Shadows.

First one was a skirmish. Second one was a very enjoyable fight to write, I think I captured Hermit better in this one. You all know Miu could have owned the Shadows solo but I wanted to add in Haku to spice up the chapter.

Speaking of the SDS, yes, it is NOT an attacking combo. It is a maneuvering ability - a free form one. She can literally (but not always since she still sucks at it) jump in mid-air, a feat that has yet to be done in Kenichi. Inspiration? Chinese movies...and Geppou from One Piece. I made the logic sound, I think.

You know I'm going to give Takeda moves from Hajime no Ippo, right? Yep.

Honestly, I like how it all went down in the manga better. It made more sense and made Hermit seem cooler but this time around, it went differently. Honoka manipulated Loki into betraying Natsu. Done deal. Loki was a chump anyway.

- EnP


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**"The March of the Shimpaku Alliance"**

Shimpaku HQ (Random Classroom in Koryou HS) - After School

The unwilling 'Assault Commander' of Shimpaku Alliance twitched when he walked in on the sight of several grown students practicing a twirling salutation.

"...What the hell was that?" Was Kenichi's indignant reaction to Shimpaku Alliance's new 'official' greeting. What shocked him even more was when he tilted his head to the side and saw Takeda and Ukita (both previously documented to have expressed their dislike for anything related to Niijima) - practicing the rotational arm salute alongside the rest. "Ehhh? You two as well?!"

The boxer grinned sheepishly. "It's really fun to do!" ("You've been poisoned!" Kenichi yelled back)

"Hey!" Niijima smiled from a far, "I have a favor to ask of you, Kenichi!"

The brown-haired boy narrowed his eyes. _"It's probably something shameless and evil. But I'll give him once chance."_

"What is it?"

"Ask your sister to join the Shimpaku Alliance! She'll be a great asset to ou-" The alien-boy wasn't even given the opportunity to finish as he was forced to duck away from an annoyed Kenichi who launched a punch at him. The young freshman was not the only one who made a move to attack the self-styled leader of Shimpaku; Takeda and Ukita also walked over with annoyed looks on their respective faces.

_"I was right!" _He thought with a comical vein on his head. "Idiot! Why would I implicate Honoka like that?!"

"Because she would be an amazing addition! Didn't you see how she handled the new Fourth Fist of Ragnarok? Not to mention that she could FLY!" Niijima retorted, "She is strong, Kenichi! I couldn't believe that my superior insight missed someone of her caliber!"

"While I do agree that Honoka-chan is very capable." Takeda still couldn't forget the image of the girl flying. "Wouldn't it be irresponsible as adults to let someone as young as her get involved in our situation. We'll be putting her in danger!"

"I'm sure that Fourth Fist has already told everyone about her. What difference does it make that she would fight under our flag or not? Either way, they will know about her!" Niijima pointed out. "Face it. Heaven itself has brought her to us!"

"Idiot! You just don't get it do you?" Kenichi groused and pulled out a chair to sit on. "Let me tell you something right now and this is absolute FACT. Honoka hates gangs. She loathes them."

"Hah! We're not a gang! We're just a young group of outstanding indiv-" He dodged a paper-ball that Ukita had thrown at him whilst in mid-sentence. "-iduals who are coming together to fight regulate and eventually drive away gangs like Ragnarok! Do you have any idea how many gangs there are out there in Koryou? Ragnarok is only one of maybe fifty smaller ones! They run amuck in this city; have been for years! If we can take down Ragnarok, we'll be in position to help the city ever more!"

"Do I look like an idiot?" Kenichi asked. Niijima was about to respond with a 'yes' until he was cut off, "Don't answer that. Anyway, we both know that all you care about is status and power! Back on topic: Honoka will never join. Never."

The Alien freshman sighed in annoyance. "She seems to like you a lot! If you can just convince he-"

"She's my sister for one. Remember this, Niijima...I'm only here to make sure you don't do anything idiotic! Leave Honoka out of this. Besides, even if I did comply to what you said, I'm sure she would rather saw off her own arms then to join any group that seemed gang related. Honoka hates gangs with a passion - how it all came about, I don't know, but I honestly don't blame her. How could I?"

"Hmph!" Niijima looked the other way. _"I'll get something on her!" _

"Let's talk about something else." Takeda interrupted. "So, what are you doing here Kenichi?"

The boy seemed relieved to be moving on. "I actually came here to investigate that weird hand-gesture thing but it was just a stupid greeting Niijima came up with."

"I was actually about to call you in. There's something you may be interested in hearing." The alien-boy ignored the annoyed glares from his 'subordinates'. "I'll need your help to investigate a new trend called 'Pit Fighting' later today. Have you heard of it?"

"Oh yeah!" Ukita bursted and re-positioned his shades. "I heard some people talking about it on the way to school. Apparently, it's this place where people go to fight one-on-one inside of a pit. Place is basically a gambling hall. It's getting really popular around here."

Niijima nodded in confirmation before moving over to his laptop and faced it to the group, showing an image of a large teen that had lightly-tanned skin with short black hair and long sideburns.

"This is Chiaki Yuma A.K.A Thor, the Seventh Fist of Ragnarok and the ring-master of the trend. Apparently, he uses 'Combative Sumo' to defeat his opponents."

"And what do you want us to do about this?" Kenichi curled back his lips in distaste at the thought of complying with Niijima. "I'm pretty sure you're just using me."

"I won't deny that." Was the alien's response, eliciting a scoff from the resident Judo user. "However! Ragnarok is still a dangerous threat to our city. Don't you remember what happened to your little sister? That can happen to anyone! The only way to beat Ragnarok is to beat down the Eig- er, Nine Fists! With my intelligence and wit with your combined strength, we can totally accomplish this!"

_"I hate the thought of working with Niijima..." _Kenichi pinched his nose in thought. _"But Ragnarok IS dangerous. Not to mention they won't leave me alone until we beat them."_

"Fine." Kenichi grumbled. "Whatever."

"Well if Kenichi is going, then we will too!" Takeda and Ukita declared with a large smile. "Can't just leave our buddy behind now can we?"

"Heh! We're destined to do this!" Niijima finished. "We'll win for sure."

Somehow, Kenichi had this horrible feeling in his stomach that stuff like this would eventually become a regular routine for him.

* * *

Ryouzanpaku - Dojo

Miu bit her lips as she waited for the blond man sitting beside her to speak.

"Your mother..." Naruto met his crisp blue eyes with Miu's own. "-Was a kind and caring woman, Miu-san."

The two sat in front of one another with a small-set table. In the middle of it; a kettle of tea was placed with two glasses and what looked like a small worn book on the edge leaning towards the older man.

"She was also an exceptional martial artist in her day."

"What was she like, Naruto-san?"

"She treated all those around her fairly and loved helping others." Sensing her tense eagerness, the elder man took a silent sip of tea from his glass; contemplating his next response.

"Shizuha...loved cats." The male blonde grimaced suddenly when the girl across from him squealed uncontrollably. "...Glad to see you enjoyed that little fact."

"You don't like cats, Naruto-san? They're so cute!" Miu absolutely gushed out.

_"I hate cats." _Naruto spewed mentally - it was nothing personal to Miu or Shizuha. "...They're OK." The lie almost caused him physical harm. He quickly moved on. "She was also a lover of literature. This book was one of her favorite reads." He took the book that was beside him and gave it to her to see. It was battered and the pages were worn - it looked as if someone had read it more than one hundred times.

It was called: Shin Chou Kyou Ryo.

"What is it about?" The younger blonde asked curiously. "I've never heard of it before."

Naruto scoffed at that admission, prompting Kensei to explain. "Hayato-dono is far too infatuated with his chouju giga (Ink Drawings); so it is doubtful that he has ever read this book before."

"Heaven save us all when someone introduces him to manga." Naruto responded wryly, eliciting a round for mirthful chuckles. "It is a very famous trilogy; so famous that many other countries have long translated it into their own native languages. It is well known all over the oriental realm."

The girl flipped through half of it and smiled softly. "I'll read it later. You said that it was a trilogy..." Obviously, there was only one book in her hand.

"The others are in my library at the Koryou Children's Home orphanage. Ask for a man named Haku and tell him that I, Uzumaki Naruto, sent you there. If he is still hesitant after that then just bring along Honoka."

"I see." She smiled, "How did you know her, Naruto-san?"

Long buried memories of the past surfaced momentarily. _"It's not my story to tell." _He sighed mentally.

"We were colleagues." While it was not a lie, it was also not the truth. _"The Kuremisago's connection with Konoha is certainly not something to tell children lightly."_

The two blondes continued to chat in relative peace as time ticked by: the topic of conversation was mostly stories about Naruto and her mother. In the next few moments, the large gates blew open and there was Shirahama Kenichi running in with a distressed look on his face.

"SENSEI!" He cried out and grabbed onto the Jiujitsu Master's gi, "SENSEI ~ I NEED A FINISHING MOVE! PLEASE TEACH ME A FINISHING MOVE!"

On his way back, the Shimpaku Alliance had been attacked by some random gang that had been enticed by Ragnarok's offer of alliance. Of course, that didn't bother Kenichi as much as the fact that everyone but him seemed to possess a 'finishing' move that was flashy and awe-inspiring. Even one of the underlings (Mizunuma) - who was an average fighter at best had his own finishing attack.

It was not righteous.

"Hm?" Akisame calmly pushed the boy off of him in order to complete his carving project. "You mean a move that will finish off your opponent?"

All of the surrounding Masters tuned in to the conversation.

"W-well, yeah!" He flinched at the gleaming light that emitted from their eyes. "What are you g-"

"Well, well! I know some of those moves, Kenichi!" The Karate Master boasted with a drink in hand.

"Soutenshu (Double Palm), Ugyuu Haito...I've taught you a few already." The hat-wearing Master counted, "They're not bad."

"APA! Kao Loi (Flying Knee)! Kao Loi! Apa!"

"I- I meant something that nobody knows about!" The disciple clarified clearly and eagerly continued on. "It should be awe inspiring and flashy! Do guys know any moves like that?"

"Pah, are you kidding me? Oi, get the sand-bag!" Kenichi ran off with a smile on his face. "We'll show this brat!"

Naruto and Miu watched on as the boy and his Masters began show-casing their moves. Sakaki had shown off a pure internal attack that defeated an opponent from the inside out, Kensei had used one of his secret palm techniques - the same one used to defeat his brother, Apachai kicked a statue so hard in the air that it never came back, Shigure peeled a leaf in half by the thin margins and Akisame showed-off a lock that looked unusually painful.

Needless to say, Kenichi seemed traumatized. Luckily, it was sometime during this when his friends ran in from behind. "Kenichi!" Niijima yelled out. "Why did you run off all of a sudden?!"

He was ignored in favor of Takeda who had a large smile. "I see you immediately ran off to learn more techniques from your Masters after seeing how much better we've gotten! Such dedication!"

Miu giggled and took a sip from her tea glass. "Kenichi has great friends. They're so funny!" Naruto didn't answer, hoping the girl would forget to mention her father. Instead, he allowed the topic change.

"Hm..." The blonde observed the group. "It's nice to see that the youth of today wield such wonderful potential." He watched on in silence.

"Alright, alright..." Niijima suddenly interrupted what would have been a long conversation between the boxer and his friend, "I want to hit Thor's place right now! The earlier the be-" The alien-boy was cut off when two kunais were suddenly thrown in his direction. Just before it was about to hit, a flash of yellow appeared in front of him and caught the projectiles in between the fingers.

"We should stick to children's games, Shigure-san." Naruto smiled just as Niijima blanched. "'It's all fun and games until someone gets a kunai to the eye' - as my Godfather used to say."

"Sorry." Was her monotone response. "I thought he was an alien. Alien."

_"F-fast!" _The alien freshman felt a shiver run down his spine. _"I've never seen this guy before! I wonder what my superior insight will tell me about this one!" _He connected his thumbs and index fingers together in a circular motion and placed them above his eyes like glasses while gazing at Naruto. "Niijima ~ Scan!" Inside of his mind, several statistical charts formed and many observations came to him.

A moment later, he fainted.

"..." Naruto blinked and shrugged. "Weird kid."

No one really payed attention to him.

Meanwhile, Kenichi was standing in the middle of the dojo grounds scratching his head in deep thought. _"I can't use any of the moves the Masters displayed! T-they're so cruel and unusual. The only good finishing move I have is the Mubiyoshi (Zero Beats) but that only works under weird circumstances."_

"Kenichi seems to be really troubled about this whole finishing-move issue." Miu commented lightly. "I wonder why...?"

"Boys will be boys." Naruto replied knowingly. "Well...I suppose it is time for me to go."

"W-wait!" She grabbed onto his arm, preventing him from disappearing like most Masters tended to do. "E-um...I was wondering if you could stay for dinner and tell me more about my family...?" The girl seemed a bit pitiful and the man just had no way of escaping that look. "Please?"

Naruto's crisp blue eyes met her own for a long second - and the man could see the desperation in her soul. After another moment, he nodded and mentally sighed. "Of course."

(Perspective Change)

"Ken-chan, you must first discover what kind of fighter you are before consciously coming up with 'finishing' attacks, as you say."

"Ah." The disciple nodded. "So I have to find myself first! I understand now."

"That's the spirit!" The Elder smiled and patted the boy's head. "Self-discovery is the most important part in one's life."

"I'll begin self-training tomorrow! And then I'll show everyone what I've come up with."

Just as Kenichi was getting up, another voice spoke up.

"Idiot." Everyone looked outside. Kensei caught a glimpse of who it was and immediately bolted to his room to escape the vicinity. "Martial Arts isn't about fancy finishing moves! It is about the basic forms that you practice everyday through blood, sweat and tears! If you keep that mentality then nothing will be accomplished!"

Jumping from the moon-light was a teenage girl with bright blue eyes and upper-back-length navy hair. "Ma Renka-san?!" Kenichi still couldn't get over how skimpy she was dressed, not that he was complaining.

"W-what are you doing here? Actually, how did you find this place?"

"Hehe..." She spent a moment remembering her greatest victory, "Uncle Hakubi was keeping quiet about Ryouzanpaku by acting ignorant for many years now. So...I got him drunk! After a while, I managed to get the information out of him! My papa has no where to run now!"

Renka walked into the dojo and immediately showed her respects to the Elder with a bow - wrapping her right fist over with her left palm. "It is an honor! I am Ma Kensei's daughter, Ma Renka! I live in Yokohama Chinatown and am currently in search of my father."

"Oh ho ho. So you are Kensei's daughter...? I've heard so much about you. Welcome!" The old man smiled at her. "Your father is somewhere on these grounds."

"I'm kind of happy that you remember me, Kenichi!" She seemed suddenly excited for some reason, "After all we went through, it's no surprise!"

The boy remembered all the faces she kicked around back at Chinatown. "How could I forget?" He laughed a bit at the memory. It was a but surreal to think about now in such a peaceful setting. "Master Ma is upst-"

A flash of green flew out of the window and to the large gates. However, Renka stopped him by yelling out: "I'll let Mama know about this place!"

"B-but-" The Chinese Master was back in an instant, "You can't!" Comical tears were streaming down his face.

"In China, Mama and my brothers are training over one hundred thousand disciples of the Phoenix Alliance! How long do you plan to fool around, Papa?!"

"B-but I'm not fooling around! I'm training a disciple here. History's Strongest Disciple!"

"Oh please!" She retorted immediately, "That guy is no where near being 'History's Strongest Disciple'! What talent do you see in that thing?!"

"...Thing...?" Kenichi sulked about, "I'm not that bad..."

"W-well..." Renka back-tracked when she saw that his feelings were hurt and cleared her throat, "I admit that he has his moments..."

The dojo doors slid open - walking out was Naruto and Miu who seemed to be locked in a small conversation. The moment Renka's eyes met the man's slim face - recognition lighted her. She felt her breath hitch in remembrance of an event from the past.

* * *

_Flashback _

_"Papa! Papa!" A small girl - who looked almost three or four - yelled out in distress. "Papa! Where are you?!" _

_The forest around her was damp and dark - the air moist and irritated her sensitive skin. She found herself scratching her arms because of the building anxiety in her stomach. "Where...?" The girl muttered quietly to herself. "Papa..."_

_Renka did the only thing she could do: walk forward._

_Not too long ago, her father had promised to take her to the lake and he was late. Though it was not uncommon, this time around, he hadn't shown for nearly an hour and that worried her. The girl proceeded to thoughtlessly run out to the forest without alerting anyone. "Where?!" Her hands on her hips and a snarl forming, she continued talking to herself. "Where?!"_

_A sudden stench met her senses. "E-er...what is that...smelly?" It was neither disgusting or refreshing. The girl didn't know how to explain it. _

_It was not a good smell._

_But her young curiosity got the best of her. So she kept moving forward. Renka couldn't stop herself from moving despite hating the smell that was emitting from the area. "Papa is here...?"_

_What she walked into next was an image that she would never forget._

_It was a clearing with shredded body parts all over the grounds and a sea of blood splattered all over the trees - guts marring the previous green grass and torn heads left all over. Even the beautiful leaves were rotting under the crimson liquid that kept gushing out of slain bodies. The scariest part was that some of them seemed to still be alive while groaning in utter agony. __And there was one man standing in the middle; his hand soaked in all the blood, guts and glory. "..." The man stood even at six feet and had blood soaked blond hair, his face greased in the blood of the people he killed. The man wore a black garb and an open, long black cloak with red clouds bellowing over his shoulder which also had a sword sheath strapped to it (the sword stabbed into the ground beside him). He was standing to the side, a frown on his face and his left eye was ice blue - from what the girl could gather._

_The one thing she would never forget however was his shadowed right eye which had a sinister red gleam in them. _

_"Renka!" A worried voice yelled from the distance. _

_"Papa!" As if strengthening her voice pipes, she yelled louder and louder for him to find her. "PAPA!" Fear began to grip her heart when the killer's eyes met with her's. "PAPA!"_

_In that next moment, a short green garb wearing man jumped down beside her. "There you are! Don't worry me like that ever again!" She nodded hurriedly as tears began flowing down her eyes. Kensei frowned and followed her fearful gaze - meeting the machine-like eyes of the killer. _

_"Uzumaki Naruto." He gritted his teeth and looked around, "The Phoenix Alliance was not harb-"_

_"I know." The man's voice - though he did not look any older than twenty five - had a hoarse, broken tone. "You need not explain anything...General Ma. Though..." He looked at the young girl who was on the verge of passing out. "Best not let your daughter out of sight."_

_"I was busy alerting the compound guards of an imminent attack...I see that was a bit in vain." Obviously, the would-be attackers were all dead. "Had you not killed them...Renka might have be-"_

_Before the sentence was complete, young Renka passed out from mental exhaustion. The last thing she heard was her father's startled exclaimations of her name._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Before she knew it, her body was kicked into high gear, running aggressively at the blonde Master with her top speed and jumped to land a flying kick at him. "Ma Style: Senkyuu (Piercing Bow Flying Kick)!"

Naruto blinked, brought up his hand (palm facing the sky) and caught the high speed kick with a recoiled finger. "Huh?"

She chanted with instinct. "AUKUANG!"

Before she could even fall to settle her feet again, Naruto flicked his recoiled finger sending the girl flying back in a flipping motion that barely allowed her to regain footing. "T-tanzhi Shentong!? Y-you-!" The blue haired girl ducked away when a speeding figure jumped from seemingly out of nowhere and launched a kick at her.

Renka rolled away from a cycle of kicks and back-stepped far enough to see Honoka Shirahama attacking her with a enraged face. "How dare you attack my Master, skank!"

"Hmph!" They locked kicks in mid-air - resembling two swords clashing - and glared down one another. "It's been a while since we've fought, silly girl! Don't think that you're my match because you can perform advanced Qing Gong (Light Body Skills)!"

"Don't make me laugh! As if a lazy skank like you could be my equal!" Honoka retracted her leg, ducked below and went to sweep her down - only for the elder girl to jump back. Renka dodged a punch from the girl from the right - swung her feet back and arched it upward to kick Honoka's chin launching her into the air. _"Tch! There was no weight behind that blow! Silly girl has gotten better!" _The younger of the two had moved her head upward just in time to reduce the damage of the attack and summer-saulted back into her default stance.

Honoka crouched low and ran at the girl to drop kick her from below. Renka scoffed, "Too reckless!" The blue-haired girl twirled in mid-air and aimed a continuous spinning kick at her opponent. "Ma Style: Xunhuan Ti (Cycle Kick)!" After the first spin, she realized that the target was nowhere in sight causing her to stop in mid-movement - her heels grinding against the ground to slower her momentum. "What the-" In the next instant, a shadow appeared over her shoulder. Renka looked back upward to see Honoka flying down on her. _"Fast! She jumped and changed directions in mid-air twice when my back was turned!"_ For the first time in a while; Shirahama Honoka had caught Ma Renka off-guard. "Cang Long Yun Zhong (Hidden Dragon in the Clouds)!"

Honoka shot down like a hawk and clutched both her hands in a claw-like gesture before moving to sandwich Renka's head in between ferociously. "Zhao Aukuang (Claws of Aukuang)!" Just as the attack was about to touch her side-burns, both of the striking arms were held still in mid-stroke by a large grip. It was Naruto.

"Master?" Honoka breathed out and stopped her attack.

Naruto smiled at her. "You've been gone since morning." He let go of her hands once she relaxed. "Isn't that attack a bit too intense for a friendly spar?"

"I was just gonna scare her a bit! I wasn't going to actually hurt the skank. Maybe." Was her reply. "Besides, she attacked you Master! How was I supposed to act? What kind of disciple would I be if I just sat back and watched?! Shirahama Honoka is certainly not an un-filial student!"

He patted her shoulder and laughed a bit at the immediate response. "I see, I see. But of course, you don't make many good friends such as her; don't let me get in the way." Honoka covered her forehead after he flicked it. She wasn't fast enough to stop his hand movement. "You got lucky this time. She probably didn't expect the new move I taught you."

"An awesome move!" The brunette boasted loudly to anyone who had a pair of ears. "My Sky Dragon Steps are average but enough to beat her!" She declared smugly.

"Hm. Don't get big headed. Or must I send you to Haku for a lesson in humility?" Honoka shook her head quickly in the negative. She certainly didn't want to go up her old friend who achieved Master level in under three years. "Of course, I could always deliver this lesson personally if you wish." Naruto's smile was absolutely devilish.

No, she did not want to fight her Master.

Ever.

Meanwhile, Renka glared at Naruto with all she had. _"He has the guts to show up here? Uzumaki Naruto!" _

"Pap-" Kensei covered her mouth and sent a glance back at a bemused Kenichi.

"Renka-chan, that's not the proper way to introduce yourself to an Honored Master, is it?" Kensei immediately stepped in and covered for her daughter's rash act. He also did not want his other disciple to get the wrong idea of the blonde man by stepping in early. "I apologize on behalf of my daughter, Naruto. You see, she has something against blondes that has stemmed from her childhood-" He then went on a tangent that everyone but Kenichi believed to be bullshit.

"Hm." Kenichi noticed a slight look of melancholy pass between the blonde's eyes. "I get it all the time. I apologize for using Tanzhi Shentong (Divine Finger Flick) - it is a bad habit. If I were even a little careless, harm may have befallen upon your daughter."

"Don't worry about it." The short man nodded with a small grin, "Isn't that right, my rude little daughter?" His hand gripped her shoulder tightly and whispered in her ear. "He is a different man, remember? Don't be so impulsive."

"E-er...right." She inclined her head and gritted her teeth. "Of course."

The Shimpaku Alliance plus Niijima (who had woken up) only watched on in silence. _"What's with these crazy powerful girls?" _They thought in sync after witnessing the fighting prowess of Renka and Honoka.

"Oi, Kenichi! Come on, we're going to go attack Thor's base!"

"Fine, fine." The freshman waved off, "Let me change first."

(Perspective Change)

The Masters all shared a glance and nodded. "He's finally going on the offensive. That's good, I guess recent events have heightened his progression as a martial artist." Sakaki uttered out loud. They all nodded.

"He's walking his own path now." Akisame coined in. "Maybe something good will come out of this."

_"What's going on?" _Honoka felt a little bit out of the loop and went over to Miu who was talking to Takeda. "What's up?"

"Honoka-chan!" Takeda smiled brightly. "Not much. Your brother and our friends will be attacking one of the Ragnarok Fists tonight. It's not something that you need to worry about."

"Finally taking the fight to them huh?" The brunette smiled widely. _"The art of warfare is just another branch of martial arts after all."_ - "Good."

"That sounds fun!" Renka swung by and exclaimed in Honoka's ear, startling her. "I'll be invoking my rematch clause later, silly girl! I won't rest until I pay you back for humiliating me in front of so many esteemed Masters!"

"Sure, sure." Honoka stuck out her tongue tauntingly, "Just admit it! I've finally taken the step to surpass you! It only took a few years."

"Hmph! Don't be cocky. You are not the only one with a Master to seek pointers from!" The blue-haired girl scoffed, "Anyway...if Kenichi is going to go attack some gang, I want to go too! I haven't done anything exciting ever since Uncle Hakubi eliminated the Mafia earlier this week...and speaking of that, where is my pa-" She turned to grab Kensei - only to pass through a mere afterimage. "Damn it!"

"Alright!" Niijima was glad to have anyone aboard. "You and Honoka-chan are in!" Takeda and Ukita glared at his back.

"Heh, yeah right." The youngest Shirahama retorted. "I have other things to do. Are you going, Miu-san?"

The blonde bit her lip and looked over to Naruto who was lounging around Shigure having a quiet conversation. "Not today. I have to prepare dinner!"

Honoka looked at Miu who was looking at her Master. "Don't worry. Ken's gonna be fine. Besides, if he can't beat the Ragnarok Fist - then the skank over there will cover for him!"

"Silly girl." Renka muttered and rearranged her dress. "But you're right. As long as I'm there, all will be good."

"Alright, I'm here!" Kenichi walked in with a troubled look on his face. "Let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Ukita lifted his arms. "To Thor's base!"

(Perspective Change)

Miu and Honoka watched the group of Kenichi, Takeda, Ukita, Renka and Niijima go off to meet with the other Shimpaku Alliance members.

"Are you really not going?" Miu teased her younger friend with a small nudge. "I know you."

Honoka had both her arms behind her head and laughed. "...You know me well, Neechan." She looked up to her surrogate sister. "But later. By the way, you should run over to Master Naruto before Shigure-san starts hogging him all to herself."

"You make that sound way more inappropriate than what the situation really is." Miu rolled her eyes. "He's probably old enough to be my dad. Stop that."

"I know." A mischievous smile crept up her lips. "Besides, you like my brother! Hah!" And with that, Honoka skipped away leaving a flushed Miu behind to ponder those words.

* * *

Thor's Base: Entrance

The Shimpaku Alliance (plus Renka) marched confidently as they made their way to the base. "We're quite outnumbered. But it shouldn't be too much of an obstacle with all of the people we have with us."

"My Karate Master taught me one critical lesson when fighting large groups." Kenichi admitted as he kept his stride, leading the group at first glance. "He told me to defeat the strongest one off the bat!"

"I like that!" Renka piped in with an excited smile. "Let's do this!"

"YEAH!" The underlings roared while the main underling (Matsui) waved their flag with nothing but pride.

They had a total roster count of fifteen. Without a doubt, the Ragnarok base had no less than fifty fighters. Niijima contemplated this for a moment. His initial plan was to infiltrate the base but with their new addition, subtleties weren't really needed. There was no better way to flex muscle than to attack directly and succeed.

"There are two people guarding the entrance." Niijima stated. "Before we go in - I need to issue some orders! I want two people backing up Ukita, Takeda, Renka and myself respectively! I also want four with Kenichi while he takes on Thor!"

"Wait! I'll cover Kenichi by myself!" Renka exclaimed confidently. "You take the extra cover!"

"Got it." The alien nodded and gazed back to the sub-members. "You heard the woman! Now let's roll! Shimpaku!"

"SHIMPAKU!" The sub-members began chanting out-loud. "SHIMPAKU!"

The two pit guards looked at the incoming group with quirked brows. "Who are-"

"Hi." Takeda stepped up first. "Sorry. We'll be crashing this party, gentlemen." Was all he said before delivering knock-out jabs to the both of them.

"What th- It's the SHIMPAKU ALLIANCE!" A random Ragnarok gang member yelled out from the edge. "Take them out! Get a promotion from the fists!"

"How dare they attack us so directly!"

"Too cocky, Shimpaku!"

Takeda and Ukita charged first with their back-up following closely. "Cover my back!" The boxer weaved in between fighters and began punching down random members. Just as he felt a tingle of danger from behind him; the teenager turned around to see that one of his backups had already slammed a pipe into the offender.

Meanwhile, Kenichi dodged an attack from the knife-wielding guy he had met a while back. He moved his left forearm to block the offender's incoming stab, "Kao Loi (Flying Knee)!" Using the same arm he used to block to grab the guy's head, Kenichi jumped forward and kneed the boy in the face.

"Where's Thor?!"

"Probably inside." Renka replied whilst in mid-air after having dodged an onslaught of gang members. Before landing on solid ground, her hands locked onto the shoulders of a random fighter and proceeded to use her accumulated momentum to spin around - wheel kicking everyone in the vicinity. "Ma Style: Tuoluo Ti (Top Spinning Kick)!"

"Call him out, Kenichi!" Niijima yelled from where he stood - which was on a high ledge.

"THOR!" The young freshman shrugged an complied. "THOR!"

And from the back of the pit-fighting area building, a large door suddenly slammed open and emerging was a huge teenager. It was the Ragnarok Seventh Fist.

"What the hell is going on here?!" He stomped the ground in order to catch everyone's attention. His dark eyes surveyed the scene and caught the sight of the enemy flag. "Shimpaku Alliance?!"

"We're here to take you out, Seventh Fist Thor!" The self-styled Viceroy of Shimpaku boasted. "You against our Assault Commander, Shirahama Kenichi! Mano-a-mano!"

"Heh." The sumo fighter smirked. "Frontal attack? I like your style. Fine!" He looked around and locked eyes with a certain one of the fighters. "Ah, so you are Shirahama Kenichi!"

"How did you know?" Asked Kenichi, curious as to how his position was given. "That it was me, I mean."

"Only someone with your fighting spirit could have beaten my good friend: Siegfried! I'll be taking revenge for him today!" He gestured towards the ring. "We'll fight in the pit! The rest of you..." The smile deepened before yelling out: "DO AS YOU PLEASE! JUST DON'T INTERRUPT OUR MATCH!"

"Take care of yourself, Renka-san!" Though he had a feeling the girl could have easily done so, it was common courtesy to voice concern.

The girl scoffed whilst dodging a random punch. "Just worry about yourself!" And with that, she began back-flipping and side-ways kicked another goon back into a trash can.

Kenichi jumped into the pit and stared down his next opponent. "...You know what, let's make a bet." It had been on his mind ever since the beginning of the day; a new way to make gangsters comply with his demands after winning.

"Huh? A bet on what? Your life?!"

"No..." He blinked away the older teen's intensity. "Something simpler. If I win, you have to quit Ragnarok and never fight un-righteously again! And if I lose...well..."

Thor snapped his fingers, cutting him off. "If I win, you become my disciple in the art of Combative Sumo!"

Kenichi gritted his teeth and shut down his horrifying re-imagination of life as a sumo wrestler. _"Unacceptable! Miu-san will never fall for me like that! I must definitely win!"_

The two got into their respective fighting stances.

"Fight!"

* * *

Thor's Base: Building Roof

Honoka - as Xinku - sat silently on top of the building looking down at the large gang fight between the Shimpaku Alliance and Ragnarok. Kenichi was currently holding his own against an overwhelming Thor who threw around his weight like a volleyball thrown on a beach. Renka was off doing her own thing in the corner of the plaza and pretty much demolishing anyone who got too close to those sharp, strong legs. Takeda, Ukita and Niijima were also holding their own very well against superior numbers.

The masked brunette bit down on a mango she had picked up from Ryouzanpaku. "They sure are having fun down there." She heard a small clink resounding from behind. The girl pretended not to notice for a second and ducked just as the attacker launched a kick from behind. At the same moment, she moved to sweep down the opponent from below only to miss wide when the figure escaped the counter.

"So there was a doggy hiding around!" Honoka taunted with her distorted mask - her finger pointing at him. "You...must be 'Fenrir'. I wonder how you found me?"

"Xinku." Kakashi took out a retractable pipe and charged at her without pause. 'Xinku' withdrew an un-connected sansetsukon and blocked the swung pipe cleanly. The girl continued on, ducking a series of swings and back-flipped across the slanted roof - the moon hanging a top of them in the scene. Honoka re-connected her staff and swung it at the boy - who jumped at her weapon in-hand - and made contact with his pipe.

"Not much of a talker, are you?"

Kakashi retracted and went for a high swing aimed at her temple. Telegraphing it, Honoka ducked blow by the smallest of margins and stepped into the boy's guard with her staff and drilled it into his shoulder - or so she thought. "You absorbed that by ramming your shoulder pre-maturely into the blow? Not bad." Xinku crouched low and launched a low sweeping kick forcing Kakashi to jump back in retreat.

The silver-haired boy swing his pipe left then right in quick succession and continued to so; holding off Xinku's flurry of disconnected staff blows. At one point, he found an opening and stabbed into the unprotected shoulder. But just as he was about to connect to the masked girl's body - the sansetsukon of his opponent suddenly wrapped around his arm tightly like a snake - disrupting his offensive enough to give pause. "You actually took that opening? Too bad that it was intentional!" In that second, Kakashi tilted his head to the side and watched as the masked girl twisted into his guard - elbow aiming right at his temple the next moment. "Longxuan (Dragon Spin)!"

Before the blow connected to his face, the boy brought his free hand up to block the attack still - forcing the two fighters into a stand-still.

"I admit! You are strong." Honoka let out a distorted growl through her mask. "But not enough!" She bent her body forward and swung her leg backwards - aiming for his lower body from waist up. Kakashi curled his chin up and away from the kick while jumping backwards - shaking off the sansetsukon as he did so simultaneously. When landing, he had to use his free hand to stop the sliding momentum in order to maintain roof-top position.

The two young teens squared off. Honoka was holding her staff (disconnected) in both hands while Kakashi had his pipe pointed at her.

_"Tougher than I thought." _Honoka bit her lip behind her mask. _"He can keep up with my attacks easily...but I can't help but think that his movements...are very similar to my own. Could it be...?"_

* * *

Kenichi vs. Thor - Plaza Pit

Shirahama Kenichi was crouched on his feet - breathing hard and eyeing down his large opponent who was also glaring down to him. Thor had a slight sliver of red dripping down from his nose, mouth and forehead (a result of a direct kick to the face). Despite his bloody demeanor, a smirk was plastered on his face and his muscles were still tensed in anticipation.

"You are strong, Shirahama! Only someone like you could have beaten Sieg!" The large teen boasted loudly. "But he and I are totally different fighters! None of your attacks will finish me!"

"We'll see about that!" Kenichi retorted. He suddenly ducked left when Thor charged at him - pumping his arms back and forth in a palm-strike motion. "Oniharite (Demonic Open Fist Slap)!" The brown-haired boy managed to slipp in-between the width of his opponent's retracting palm and drove his knee into Thor's stomach. "Kao Tone (Straight Knee)!" Thor grimaced as soon as the contact made but took it straight on nonetheless. He then straightened his back and bounced back the knee - eliciting a harsh recoiling reaction from the smaller teen.

"Tch!" Kenichi gritted his teeth. _"How am I going to finish him off? I need a decisive hit!"_

"You're a fast little bug!" Thor cackled while stomping down his feet. "You may think that you have the speed advantage. Don't get cocky! Combative Sumo has plenty of nullifying techniques. Let me show you!" He charged again while pumping his arms. "Oniharite (Demonic Open Fist Slap)!"

Kenichi repeated his previous movement but just as he was about to lift his knee, a large hand grabbed the back of his shirt and lifted him up in the air. "Jowan Nage (Upper Arm Toss)!" Kenichi was slammed down on to the ground. After the first fall, Thor did not surrender his grip and proceeded to flail around the brown-haired boy like a bat. "Sho Jowan Nage (Various Upper Arm Tosses)!"

Kenichi was finally thrown onto a far wall - using his hands to cover the back of his neck to prevent a violent recoil. "Grh!"

"I'll finish this!" Thor jumped - stomach forward and aimed at Kenichi who was backed into a wall. "Onaka Bakudan (Stomach Bomb)!"

Thor's stomach made contact with the steel pit wall - his opponent having dodged right at the last moment. "Nice resilience!" The Ragnarok Fist praised. "You're not an easy man to pin down!"

Just as he turned around, Kenichi jumped up high, grabbed the back of Thor's head and drove a knee to his face. "Kao Loi (Flying Knee)!"

The Ragnarok Fist stumbled back and covered his face for a moment - The teen barely blocked the followed up kick that was delivered, "Chai Kick!" Kenichi then landed back down to the ground, gritted his teeth and stepped right into Thor's guard - his hands held parallel in front of the large teen. "Mubiy-"

Thor kicked him back just as Kenichi had his finishing punch cocked back. "Grruh!" He let out a loud breath and spat out some blood.

_"He's tenacious." _The brown-haired boy licked some blood off his lips. _"But he's staggering at least."_

"Are you impressed? This is the strength of Combative Sumo, the style that you will be learning after I defeat you!"

"Over my dead body!"

He meant that literally.

Kenichi's eyes gleamed as he glared down Thor who was rushing at him again with the usual palm strikes. The memories of his training flashed back and forth in his mind - and it seemed like every movement of Thor's was in slow motion.

"He's finished now!" One of the lone (surviving) Ragnarok underlings yelled in glee. "Shimpaku's goin-" Renka kicked down the loud gangster.

Renka was untouched for the most part. "Fool" She smiled. "This fight is over. But not for our boss!"

Kenichi weaved into one of Thor's retracting palms and feigned a double head/body punch that drew the opponent's arms up. "Yamazuki!" In the next moment, the brown-haired boy jumped high again, grabbed his opponent's head with a single arm and rammed in a knee to the face. "Kao Loi (Flying Knee)!" The Ragnarok Fist shook from the impact and took a few steps back in reaction.

As soon as he landed down to the ground, Kenichi dipped down low and grabbed the large teen's leg. "Ugyuu Haito!" Using all of his strength, the freshman threw down Thor roughly to the steel pit - eliciting a fair booming noise. "Kuchiki Daoshi (Falling Tree)!"

"What a combo!" Matsui (the flag bearing Shimpaku member) roared out. "Commander's strongest combo!"

"I like that!" Niijima smirked, "I'll upload that later on the website! Yamazuki, Kao Loi, Ugyuu Haito and Kuchiki Daoshi! History's Strongest Combo!"

"KEN-I-CHI ~ KEN-I-CHI ~ KEN-I-CHI!" The Shimpaku underlings began chanting - even the beaten up ones who got caught in a few bad moments. "FINISH HIM!"

Thor flailed his right arm around to find a gripping. He finally dragged himself up and turned around - only to see Kenichi holding two parallel hands under his chest.

"Mubiyoshi (Zero Beats)!" Using all the basic fundamentals of all the martial arts he ever learned, Kenichi drilled a stunning strike right into Thor's upper stomach - knocking the large teen back into the steel wall, his head lashing back and coiling back and forth. The Ragnarok Fist completely dropped down to his rear, arms to the side and eyes rolled back signalling his defeat.

Kenichi breathed in and out intensely. _"I did it..." _He mentally groused. _"The Strongest Combo huh?" _

"Their leader is down!" Niijima announced loudly. "Finish off the rest!"

Morale now raised - Takeda and Ukita let out their own little battle cries and finished off their own opponents while Renka cycled around and kicked down any remaining Ragnarok fighters that tried to launch a desperate retaliation.

In the end, Shimpaku stood alone with only their leaders and Viceroy standing. "We did it!"

"Yeah!" Renka pumped up her arms. "Hey, you guys aren't half bad!"

"Right?" Takeda joined on in, "Victory is-"

He was cut off in mid-tangent when Renka jumped suddenly and stared up to the roofs. "Wait, I hear others fighting!" She pointed up and aimed at two shadowed figures. "That's-"

"Xinku!" Takeda realized. "And she's fighting...Fenrir?"

_"That silly girl decided to follow us after all..." _Renka's lips curled into a small grin. _"And her opponent isn't bad at all. The boy is pushing her hard on the offensive but is having a hard time predicting the girl's counters. An interesting match-up."_ She observed after a few quiet minutes while listening to the other members speculate.

"They're having a good one up there." Ukita commented. "...Who's winning though?"

"It's a stand-still. They can't fight at full strength on a tilted roof." Renka replied. _"But she shouldn't be having that problem with those sky steps. What's going on with that?"_

* * *

Plaza Roof

The two young warriors were at an impasse now - their respective weapons were clashed against the other. Honoka held her sansetsukon crossed in an X motion held against Kakashi's lone retractable pipe, both fighting for dominance.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes when he heard the victory calls of the Shimpaku Alliance.

"What's wrong?" Honoka's voice was smug. "Worried about your comrades?"

The silver-hair boy didn't answer her at all. He tilted his head to the side to observe the completely obliterated Ragnarok forces and the victorious Shimpaku Alliance members. _"Even if I won this fight, her friends would still make chase. There is no victory here." _He closed his eyes and nodded - as if making an internal decision - and jumped away from the impasse. Honoka ducked right when Kakashi threw his pipe in her direction (also catching it right before it fell off the building). In that precise moment, he jumped from from one side of the roof over to another and hopped into a random dark alley at the distant. The masked girl didn't bother making chase - knowing that their rematch would happen again at another date.

She looked down to the plaza to see Kenichi talking to Thor about something. She was too far to really hear but from the look on Thor's face - her brother must have said something very inspiring and cool. "Hm."

The girl shook her head. There were more important things to think about.

_"There's no doubt." _Honoka turned around to jump off the roof and away into the night. _"'Fenrir' is an agent of Konoha. His movements are definitely a branch from the Konoha-ryuu. I wonder what Master Naruto will think about this?"_

* * *

END

Solid, simple and I admit, lack-luster ending. Bleh, I hated the way I ended this chapter. I mean...I couldn't think of a better way which is my personal fault as a writer. I'm not gonna pull another Kurama reveal which loses it's effect once done often. I was satisfied with Kenichi vs Thor (Which I changed COMPLETELY) and Honoka/Xinku vs. Kakashi round 2. To clarify, only a few people knows about her alter-ego.

If you haven't noticed, I condensed some canon into each other. Not because I'm rushing, I just didn't really like how it went down in the manga. I mean, Kenichi could take on Hermit...but he had a hard time against Thor? GTFO OF HERE LOL! In my opinion, his win should have been solid and decisive (not a ring out - albeit a cool ring out). Kenichi is a GOOD fighter, he's a beast! But for some reason, his fight IQ is so low early on. It's weird. He's cocky, I get that, but he's got skills. No doubt about that.

Extended fight scenes are a bit difficult, I admit. I mean, after the first few paragraphs, it just gets tough repeating words and signal phrases. I know I can do better than what was here. I thought it was OK though, I liked my version of Kenichi v. Thor. I WILL admit that the character interaction in canon far surpasses mine. That I will admit. But I feel that Thor is such a minor character (eventually) that I didn't need to go in depth.

Some of Kenichi's moves are not translated because I don't know where to find them.

I've been testing out new styles of writing. Like when I put a small dialogue inside parenthesis to emulate the 'background comments' features in the manga. And I'm trying to do 'perspective changes' because some scenes change in between the same overall scene (if that makes sense). I play with a lot of characters so this is something new to toy around with. I'm not just writing this for fun, I'm also developing my style.

I gave Renka some fun. I love that girl, she's one of my favorite disciples. (And the fight she's having right now in the manga? Mmmhmmmm. No, I'm kidding. Kind of. Maybe. Not really)

Concerning anyone caught up with the manga - SPOILER ALERT - I WANT TO SEE SIEGFRIED VS HERMIT! PLEASE, I BEG YOU AUTHOR! START THAT FIGHT!

Added two new moves:

Cang Long Yun Zhong (Hidden Dragon in the Clouds): Simpler than what it really sounds. It's basically using the Sky-Dragon Steps while being out of sight. It's decisive and a very effective mis-direction move. ***Edit: A recent reviewer (InvincibleIII has recently informed me that the previous translation was incorrect. So I changed this one to...as you can see above. I know that my technique names will all be incorrect to an extent, I'm not Chinese or well-versed in it - thought I wish I was - I'll leave a section in an AN explaining my own reasoning for technique names later. Right now, too tired and lazy. As for InvincibleIII, you have my thanks - technique name is a big deal for me. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I'll be mentioning this in the next AN as well.)

Zhao Aukuang (Claws of Aukuang): Read the description. Clashing two 'clawed' hands into the side of an opponent's head. It was originally made to be a fatality but Honoka doesn't use it to that extent. She is after all...A KATSUJINKEN user. *Smiley Face* And yes, Naruto named it. Egotistical much? He's fucking Naruto. He wasn't always wise...and an all-knowing teacher.

Why was this chapter out so late? One, I have a lot of real life stuff to take care of. The days of consecutive updates by single days are over. My hot hand is dead and life just went second gear, if you know what I mean.

Two, I'm in the process of developing my own novel/story/stuff. I'm...an inspiring writer (not what my college major is though) so naturally, I get more into that. I still love this though, I love what I have here. A novel is a solid five-ish years project. That's something to talk about on another day.

By the way, I just finished Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre (09'). I'm either going to watch the Fate Stay series (J-anime) or The Yang Warriors (C-Wuxia/Drama). Any suggestions? - Other than that,

Have a nice day.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**"Interlude: The Retired Assassins"**

_Brief Story Summary_

_This is the story of Shirahama Honoka, a young girl who harbors a strong hate for bullies and those who abuse others that cannot protect themselves. In time, she finds a powerful martial artist named Uzumaki Naruto. After three attempts, the girl succeeds in acquiring his guidance as a growing fighter in the underworld. In time, her brother also finds himself studying under many esteemed Masters. For a while, nobody knew of her exclusive skills. Honoka's current enemy is one Hatake Kakashi who she discovered to be a top disciple of an enigmatic assassination clan called, 'Konoha'. What is their scheme? And what will become of our heroine?_

* * *

Koryou

Her Master had left at midnight. Without even a single goodbye left for her, his bags had been packed and his room had been emptied of any belongings - as if he had never even been there at all. Honoka had returned from her latest battle to find out from Haku that Naruto had left in haste after receiving an ominous message.

So here she was, alone and in a curious situation. She no longer had a net to fall in if things went completely wrong.

What in the world was Honoka going to do now?

"They've shown themselves. To think that Ragnarok had one up their sleeves all this time." She muttered to herself. "The new Fourth Fist: Fenrir."

The silver haired boy was a tough opponent, perhaps rivaling Ma Renka at her peak.

_"Thinking about all of this is useless!" _The girl mentally spat. "The only way to overcome this is to get stronger!"

Honoka, who was currently attempting to climb a steep cliff with one arm tied to her back, bit through her extensive fatigue and continued on up to the top. The road to become the strongest in the world would not come without tough battles after all.

At this moment, her mind wavered slightly. The brunette kind of wondered what her Master was up to at the moment.

* * *

Los Angeles International Airport: LA, California (United States of America)

Uzumaki Naruto had long ditched his typical country-side travelling attire. He was now wearing his rural clothes, consisting of a long-sleeved white shirt, blue pants and tinted sunglasses. He did not truly stand out in America, something he really appreciated. It was a busy country and more so than usual in the cities. The hustle and bustle was a nice change of pace compared to other places he's been.

His mind wandered to the message Jiraiya, his Godfather, had sent him not too long ago. _"He wants to meet up." _The blonde's eye caught a flash of blue from the corner and moved to retrieve his bag that had popped onto the ring.

Naruto made his way to the escalator and began thinking of his abrupt departure, leaving Honoka back by herself. _"The girl can take care of herself. Even if she were in trouble, I can trust Hakubi to watch her back. And I suppose her close ties to Ryouzanpaku will be a great asset as well." _A small smile tugged at his lips. _"She is growing up before my very eyes. I'm kind of proud."_

Just as he stepped off the machine, a sign that read his surname caught his attention. A tall man with red hair flowing to his shoulders held up a sign that read, 'Uzumaki'. Naruto's smile widened slightly before walking over.

"It's been a while, cousin." He initiated the conversation. "Good to see you, Nagato. It's been too long."

"And you, Naruto." The other man nodded with a small grin. "You haven't changed I see. Still exuding an incredible aura, I felt your presence from my car."

Uzumaki Nagato stood at an equal height with his cousin. The red-head wore a collared white shirt, black pants and a golden, round necklace with a six inter-layered circle design around his neck. Naruto's eyes wandered to his left hand and was surprised to see a golden ring. "Married?" The blonde inquired.

"Engaged. It was fairly recent. You remember Konan, right?" Naruto nodded, it was pretty hard to forget the woman who loved wearing blue hair. Not that it didn't fit her. "I proposed just a month ago."

"Congratulations." Naruto bumped his fist into the slightly older man. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks." Nagato replied before turning back to the glass doors, the sun was still shining brightly through. "Let's head out. Old man Jiraiya is a bit anxious for some reason. To be honest, it's kind of bugging me."

The two walked out and in a few short moments, they found themselves standing in front of a blue Suburu Impreza. "Nice car."

"Konan picked it out." He muttered with low spirits. "I wanted an Evo. But the lady said that one car was more than enough."

Naruto chuckled at the comment. "Sounds like the Konan that I know. Well, you can always get another one after you two tie the knot and she softens up. When is that going to happen anyway?"

"We've decided on a lengthy engagement. There are some strings to cut, loose-ends to tie up, contracts to burn...you know all of that. Retired assassins have to do what they have to. Not to mention Konan and I were quite infamous. It will be difficult to disappear peacefully."

Naruto could definitely understand that sentiment. "I wish you the best of luck. Just let me know if there is anything I can do."

His red-headed cousin gave the blonde a thankful glance. "I'll keep that in mind."

The two spent the rest of the ride in relative, comfortable silence. Naruto gazed out and observed the large city, busy and bright city of Los Angeles.

"What did Master Jiraiya say in the letter he wrote to you?"

Naruto frowned slightly before answering. He moved to his left-side pocket and retrieved a small, coded letter. "Demon Sect is on the move. Hasn't he told you?"

"He has." Confirmed Nagato who also sported a grim frown. "I don't like this. It is a bad sign."

"You have something precious to protect now." The blonde mentioned. "You shouldn't have to worry about it. Let me handle them, you take care of your fiance. Not to say Konan can't take care of herself, of course."

The red-head smirked. "Konan is more than capable. I'm more worried about her...condition."

Naruto frowned before connecting the dots in his mind. He turned to his cousin and saw a small, happy smile adjourning his middle-aged face. "I see."

"Nonetheless, I do not plan on confronting them unless they come to me first. I'm not interested in having to fight any of the Titans of Demon Sect. You should know how great they are, Naruto." Nagato sighed. "It is unwise to confront any of them. They are truly powerful martial artists."

"Speaking of the Titans..." The blonde Uzumaki muttered. "Jiraiya implied that there is one not too far from this very location."

"Yes." Nagato nodded. "Let's wait until we arrive before starting this conversation."

Naruto nodded and turned to face the car window once again, deep in thought.

* * *

Santa Monica 

Naruto and Nagato did not stand out at all in the eyes of the public. It was completely different compared to his home where everyone knew each other. Here in LA, only big time names were worth remembering and Naruto had no plan on garnering any of that attention. He knew that even one wrong, careless move could get him in the eyes of just about every underground person.

"Even in America, your reputation is well known. There are bounty hunters everywhere." Nagato sighed. "But that doesn't mean you have to pull the whole Clark Kent get-up on me." He indicated his cousin's newly adjourned glasses.

"They are necessary." Naruto replied calmly while fiddling with the sight tool. "And effective."

"Right." The red-head rolled his eyes. "Well come on, we're almost there." They had parked the car on the side of the street, in the general area of a serene beach house. The two men completely ignored the front door and walked out back where Naruto was met with the sight of beautiful women everywhere, and not a man in sight.

"Figures this is how he'd want to spend the rest of his life." A smile crept on the blonde's face. "Money, sake and women: the three vices of the Toad Sage, Jiraiya."

"I don't even know where these women come from." Nagato muttered. "They just appear here from out of the blue. I swear, I think he's trying to make this place like a playboy mansion."

Before Naruto could reply, a gorgeous woman walked up to them with an inquisitive look and spoke in english. "Hello gentlemen." She had long brown hair and green eyes. "This is a private ar-"

"Victoria." A deep voice spoke from behind her. Only Naruto and Nagato had caught the man's sudden presence and as a result, did not jump in fright like the bikini wearing woman. "Enough. They are family." Sporting red shorts, black sandals, tinted sunglasses and an open Hawaiian shirt was a man with long, spiky white hair. He stood almost a whole head over the two men and had a large, welcoming smile on his face.

"Master Jiraiya." Nagato inclined his head in respect.

"Godfather." Naruto smiled and allowed the large man to wrap him in a manly embrace, "Time has been good to you."

"Oh yeah." He smirked. "And I still got the moves too! Well what are you waiting for?! Come on in. I'll get the fish ready!"

"Sounds good."

The two Uzumaki men walked in to the house and was taken in by the relatively modest sized home. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside design - there was a large television, numerous couches and a legion of decorative furniture. Naruto could also see the man's personal library to the side of the wall - knowing that it was either filled with books or porn concealing some sort of information. Or just porn, Naruto had never met a man as shameless as his Godfather after all.

The three men sat at the dinner table. Jiraiya began speaking first. "So, how've you been kid? Are you doing alright?"

"I've been well. Of course, I would rather return to my retirement in Koryou. Peace will have to wait, I guess."

"I've always found it weird that you chose such a random place to retire. Then again, being in the same town as Ryouzanpaku can be a smart idea. Not many assassins would dare mess with History's Strongest Warriors." Nagato piped in. "Was that your intention?"

"No." Naruto stated bluntly. "That was a coincidence. I honestly did not even know until I started at the orphanage. Funny how things work out sometimes." He briefly recalled the meeting with Fuurinji Miu in his mind. The girl really did remind him of her mother a lot. It was almost tragic.

"As much as I'd like to catch up." The blonde continued. "The subject matter is really picking at my brain. I have to know what you know of my Master, Godfather."

Jiraiya heaved a sigh. "Fine, fine. Man, you're not as fun as you used to be. I remember the old Naruto who was about as laid back as it could get. Ah well, that was almost twenty years ago." He shrugged his shoulders. "Honestly, the information I just received was kind of disturbing. It's been bugging me for a while."

"And...?"

"I'm sure you know how deep the connection Yami has with the government."

Naruto frowned. "The American government?"

"No." Replied Jiraiya, "I mean governments in an overall sense. They have high tier members in almost every government all across the world. They're planning something big and I don't like it. One of these plans involves something called 'Project D'. Otherwise known as the worldwide recruitment of rogue mercenaries."

"...I see." Naruto watched Nagato's teeth click. He rose a brow. "Something the matter?"

"I've already told Jiraiya this but - they even sent Konan and I an invitation. If they can find us, then we'll be in a heap load of trouble. I'm very worried."

"From what I hear, Masters from all over are flocking to them. Even Konoha has been contemplating signing an alliance of sorts."

"That's no surprise." Nagato sighed. "There are very few worthwhile threats in this new Konoha. All of their great fighters; Orochimaru, Might Gai, and even Tsunade left long before Naruto...did what he did."

"They are very desperate." Jiraiya agreed, having also has his own deals with said organization. "Anyway, that's not what worries me. It is Demon Sect that worries me. In some way, they have also jumped onto the scene. Yami is trying to recruit them and I don't believe that the recent failure will deter their attempts. For the first time in a long time, Kurama has made an appearance. And from what I've heard...he is beginning to reassemble the Titans once more. For what reason, I do not know."

The blonde sunk back into his chair deep in thought. _"So you've finally shown yourself, Master."_

"Why though? Why wait so long to make a move? The Sword Devil has been off the radar for decades."

"He is a difficult man to understand." Naruto stated firmly. "I know my Master better than anyone. There is no rhyme or reason to what he does."

"Hm?" Urged his Godfather.

"Perhaps...he has just gotten bored of playing the retired assassin. Perhaps...he just wants to kill for the sake of killing once again. In his heart, Kurama is a warrior and he lives for nothing but to cut down opponents, to shed a sea of blood. The only thing I can think of that would delay him would be...purpose."

They sat in silence for a while after that, thinking about the situation and how dark the horizon was now getting.

That was until Jiraiya broke it. "We don't need to worry about him for now. I'm more worried about the other eight."

"Which ones have made noise?" Nagato asked.

Jiraiya stood up and retrieved a message that was dated back a week ago. He showed it to them.

"...'Mad Monk' Shukaku. Last sighted in Brazil."

Nagato clenched his teeth. "He's a nasty one. The Iron Palm of the Desert." The other two agreed.

"Unfortunately, I've only heard of one other that has made a move." Jiraiya continued. "The Tyrant, Kokuo. Apparently...he's been running the show in my own backyard - though only recently. Before this, he was reported to be seen in New York about ten years ago."

"That's it?" Naruto asked surprised. "I met them both back in the...old days - but there is no way that they are the only two to show themselves. No sightings of Primordial Thunderbolt? Black Scale? Or even Armada?"

"No." Jiraiya curled back his lips in a frown. "Those names have been silent for a very, very long time. They've been ghosts - completely untraceable."

Nagato watched the frustration build inside his cousin. It was not everyday he got to see the usually unflappable man this flustered. "Is there something the matter?"

"Kokuo and Shukaku are already powerful opponents. If the others are quiet, then that only means that they have a plan of action. Kurama is the only one that can reign in their egos to arrive at a common goal. It doesn't make any sense. Why would they show themselves now of all times? What is about to happen in the future that would cause them to suddenly act like this?"

Jiraiya didn't know what to say. "I don't know, Naruto. I just don't. The best we can do is to wait and see."

"I agree." The red head spoke up again. "I may be retiring right now but this is a situation to keep an eye on. I hope you can keep me in the loop, Master."

"I cannot just wait around and do nothing." Naruto shook his head and stood up. Jiraiya and Nagato watched as the blonde walked to the open balcony. "If Demon Sect is planning something, then I must stop them. Usually I wouldn't care for the affairs of the Martial Arts world but...I cannot help it this time. The time I spent as a member of that sect all those years ago...they were not my best. The plans they had for the world are nothing less than truly evil and despicable. Kurama is a man who just wants to watch the world burn - and his followers are merely in for it for their own, selfish gains."

"What are you planning, kid?" Jiraiya finally succumbed to what had been on his mind for a while now. "You were always a schemer, even when you were a young man. I remember when you initially returned from your infiltration of Demon Sect, I remember the look of utter fear in your eyes. But in that fear, you had a spark of determination."

"Demon Sect must be defeated. While they do not have the same connections as Yami, their members are very dangerous in their own ways. With Ryouzanpaku on the edge of going into conflict with Yami, I believe that it is time that I form my own team."

"What?!" Nagato, who prided himself in usually being calm and reserved, exclaimed. "A team? You mean like an organization of your own?"

The wind blew upon them violently while Naruto thought of what next to say.

"Right now, it is still the calm before the storm. It is a chess match for the moment and we are strategically placing our pieces. The storm will come one day, and I want to be absolutely prepared for it."

* * *

END

Very short chapter, barely scratching 3000 words. It's an interlude of sorts that is basically going to be the set up to my next legion of Chronicles for Naruto. What you guys need to know is that this all ties into the plot in the future. I know that I didn't really make Jiraiya's entrance epic or anything. Here, he's just a secondary character. Next chapter will be longer and we'll be back on track.

Now then. Yes, I've come back for a bit. Let me tell you something, Being a full time student and full time worker is no joke. I go to school in the morning 7-2pm and work from 3-12am. So as you can probably figure out, I'm tired as hell. I'm just happy I got this chapter out. I am very rusty right now.

Next chapter is going to be for Honoka and of course, everything else that's going to happen. It's planned...I just wish I had the time to write it, y'know. Hopefully, this short piece of crap chapter might have re-sparked some interest. Not just for you all, but for me as well.

Anyway, I'm tired. Very tired.

- EnP


End file.
